Trust with ties to Bill Gates buys 124 acres in North Salem

NORTH SALEM - The town has a new property owner, one with connections to Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, billionaire philanthropist, and father of a top equestrian competitor.

According to New York State property records, a 124-acre property on Mills Road was purchased on Jan. 5, 2018, by Robert Buote as Trustee of Wellington Trust. The sale price was $15,825,000. It included three separate parcels.

Buote, through the Wellington Trust, has purchased other properties for Gates, mainly in Florida, according to The Real Deal and The Southern Florida Business Journal. Buote is also listed as a managing member of another limited liability company, Evergate Stables, in Kirkland, Washington, according to the state of Washington business records.

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The address of the buyer of the North Salem properties — Buote and the Wellington Trust — is listed in the property records in care of Watermark Estate Management Services LLC in Kirkland, Washington. The purchasing trust and Evergate Stables share the same address: 10230 NE Points Drive, Kirkland, Washington.

Evergate Stables is an equestrian team created for Gates' 21-year-old daughter, Jennifer Gates, a nationally ranked show jumper. Jennifer Gates recently competed in the Longines Global Champions Tour in Miami Beach, Florida.

Jennifer Gates, who is slated to graduate from Stanford University this year, may be moving to New York to continue her study at New York University this fall, according to New York Post.

North Salem lots

The large North Salem tract — which is mostly vacant and consists of three adjoining parcels — was previously owned by Duncan Dayton, a real estate developer, and former race car driver.

A 2013 Youtube video of one of the three parcels, a 43.25 acre property on Mills Road, highlights it as a "premier equestrian facility" that includes a single-family home equipped with a swimming pool.

Old Salem Farm, a nationally-known venue for equestrian competitions, is less than a 10-minute drive from the Mills Road property that was sold.

John Arons, a Mount Kisco attorney listed in the deed, declined to comment on the transaction.

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