This private 39-acre slice of paradise on Lopez Island yours for $4.9 million
History, beauty, serenity and 1,700 feet of private beach are all part of a rare piece of real estate on Lopez Island in Washington that is selling for $4.9 million.
Dr. Charles Joseph Goodner, who was longtime head of endocrinology at the University of Washington, and his wife Oakley bought the 39-acre property thirty years ago after falling in love with the place while cruising around Lopez Sound on a rental yacht, according to their son, Philip Goodner.
After the Goodners bought the land around 1990, Philip and extended family members with construction experience helped them build their dream retirement home. Philip said it took three years to construct the home, guest house and barn from start to finish. The Goodners lived in a tent until the guest house was built. The main home and barn came next.
During the construction, Philip recalled, Oakley cooked for the workers over camp stoves. Philip’s longtime partner Toni Petrinovich has a picture of workers bathing in a huge wooden hot tub after hard day’s work in the heat.
Also known as Joe Goodner, the doctor died in 2018. Oakley died in 2016.
The 2,349-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath custom-designed main residence is surrounded by mature madrone trees and pasture. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the master bedroom and living room take in spectacular views of Mount Baker. There is an outdoor pool, too.
The house features a large kitchen that was modeled after one used by Oakley’s mother, Helen Evans Brown, a nationally known gourmet chef and cookbook author who collaborated with famous culinary figure James Beard.
The property offers vehicle access to a private tombolo beach with two sheltered coves and enough room to land a floatplane. The beach has ties to Native American history, too. An ancient shell midden created by indigenous people who fished there was discovered, Philip said.
The 39 acres provide an ideal setting for outdoor lovers, with access to the Lopez Hill network of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails.
Oakley ran a sheep operation on the property, selling wool, wool-based products and meat. A major motivation for raising sheep, Philip said, was so Oakley could keep her border collies occupied.
The 39 acres of land could be used for farming or ranching enterprises, Philip said.
Perhaps most of all, however, the property offers an escape from the bustle of city life, as Joe and Oakley had sought.
“The loudest noise is a ferry rumbling by once in a while,” Philip said.
Philip and Petrinovich, who live just a few miles away in their farmhouse, said it’s simply time for the family to sell the land, and they have an idea of who might be interested in buying.
“It’s sort of wonderful for anybody who wants to have extended family place,” Philip said. “It’s big enough to build a family compound.”
The property can also be divided. Property use currently allows for three additional home sites, according to the listing.
“I always picture the perfect buyer would be in their late 40s to 50s who have enough money to do whatever they want to do with it, and have some quiet space, get out of the city,” Petrinovich said.
“Once up here, you begin to realize what you’re missing,” she added. “The wildlife is so profuse. It’s right in your backyard.”
Karlena Pickering of Lopez Village Properties is the listing agent for the farm property.
This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 8:19 AM with the headline "This private 39-acre slice of paradise on Lopez Island yours for $4.9 million."
