A Most Appropriate Name Reprinted from Inside Northside Magazine Summer 2000 by Margaret Gravois

One of the roles of home and family is to provide a haven. On the north shore, this simple but essential concept has been tangibly expressed by John L. Crosby, Incorporated and given a most appropriate name, The Sanctuary. There is no doubt that the success of this development conveying peace, security and serenity springs from the fact that the developing company, John L. Crosby, Incorporated, is a family-run business and is home to three generations of the Crosby family. John L. Crosby, his children, John L. Crosby, Jr., Harry J. Crosby, Lisa Crosby Forshag, Thomas N. Crosby, Stephen M. Crosby, Claire Crosby DiPol, Patrick H. Crosby, and his grandchild, Harry J. Crosby, Jr., are a unique family, a unique company, and have presented the north shore with a unique community, The Sanctuary.

The property extends from its gated entrance on the West Causeway Approach Road to Lake Pontchartrain and includes 1,170 acres of extraordinary beauty. The four phases in the development of the residential property will provide 370 lots ranging in size from one-half to three acres. At present, the first phase is complete and the second phase is more than 50% complete. As a buffer for the residential section to the traffic and noise of the West Causeway Approach, five office buildings, with three already completed, occupy a park-like setting with generous green space for each building.

John L. Crosby, Jr., the project manager, recognized from the very beginning that the concerns for preserving the beauty of this property and the concerns for making it marketable would have to be one and the same. The Sanctuary is an environmentally planned community. This means that the 700 acres of cypress marshes and native wetlands will never be disturbed and offer the residents of The Sanctuary an extraordinary educational opportunity filled with adventure as they explore this gift of nature. The Sanctuary is meant to be a sanctuary for the humans and the wildlife in residence. Environmentally planned also means that the preservation of the trees on the property is a priority.

To this end the clearing of the set back areas of each lot is not allowed. The design and the construction of the drainage system requires minimal fill and grading of the lots, which in turn reduces harmful impact to the trees. To learn more about the staggering amount of planning that went into The Sanctuary, log on to crosbydevelopment.com. After viewing this website, you will understand that The Sanctuary is being developed by a company that has, for decades, built quality homes with the emphasis on long-term value, and that only such extensive experience and knowledge could produce such a unique vision.

The Sanctuary offers a variety of amenities to enhance your lifestyle. The clubhouse has a tournament-sized pool. Other amenities include three lighted tennis courts, a softball field and a soccer field. The Fitness Center offers cardiovascular stations, weight-training stations, and state-of-the-art fitness equipment. Personal trainers are on hand to design individual or group workout regimens. Combine that with walking, jogging, hiking, and nature trails and boardwalks in the greenbelt and wetland areas and the best that life has to offer surrounds you.

The stately homes of The Sanctuary range in price from the upper $300,000 to a million dollars. The average home is around $500,000 and it takes about two months, with several consultations, to draw up the plans for your unique home and about eight months to construct. While the Crosbys have built most of the homes in The Sanctuary, a selected group of feature builders are available. These builders have the same dedication to details and long-term value as John L. Crosby, Incorporated, and like the Crosbys, deliver on their promises. Model homes built by the firm are ready for selection of colors and interior and exterior amenities.

With stately pine, magnolia, and oak trees surrounding you, with private streets that are lighted at night, with songbirds and other wildlife to stimulate you, with neighbors who share your love of nature and elegance, with security for your family, with the availability of quality schools, with the Causeway just two miles away, and with the sense of community to enhance your life, can you think of a better place to call home?

Reprinted from Inside Northside Magazine Summer 2000