Ken Mattson started small… With a massive eyesore.
After coming to Sonoma for years as a vacationer, the Piedmont resident’s first buy in Sonoma Valley became the two water-logged and deserted 7,000-square-foot houses on Moon Mountain Road. Mattson snapped up the property in 2015 for simply under $1 million and agreed to raze the website straight away to improve the aesthetics of Highway 12. Two large new houses on the same website are online now, near completion.
He quickly started looking for other homes around Sonoma that he believed had been underutilized but held excessive potential. In 2016, he bought Sonoma’s Best deli and cottages on East Napa Street, Boyes Food Market, and the “Lanning Structures” on Highway 12.
His tempo has picked up because of them. Mattson has quietly been shopping residential and commercial homes in addition to vacant lots, both inside the city limits and around the Valley. As of press time, consistent with CoreLogic’s actual property reports, he now owns all or a part of 26 Valley residences totaling nearly $80 million.
Two property dealers acquainted with the neighborhood market agreed that Mattson is now one of the most important (non-winery) landowners in the Valley.
Most wonderful were Mattson’s purchases, through his real estate corporation, LeFever Mattson, of Cornerstone Sonoma marketplace, Ramekins culinary faculty, and the General’s Daughter event space from Kenwood Investments.
But Mattson additionally now owns Leland Fishing Ranch assets on Arnold Drive, the old Cocoa Plant constructing on Broadway, Cottage Inn & Spa downtown, a portion of the Mercado assets at the Plaza, the Sojourn tasting room constructing on East Napa, and the list goes on.
