By Abra DeGeareSenior Staff Writer
With the opening of Fraternity Row, many may be wondering aboutthe sororities -- will they have a place to call their own?
Sorority Row, which is still in its planning stage, will providehousing for about 160 sorority members once it opens in 2005.
The vacant lot on College Avenue, which slopes down and is locatednext to Greek Circle, is the purchased site. All nine sororities inthe Panhellenic Council have submitted letters of interest. As ofnow, the preliminary site plans include five chapter houses and 69apartment units.
There are two main reasons behind building Sorority Row, saidTheresa Nakata, community and public relations director for the SanDiego State Foundation.
First, the alumnae of sororities no longer wanted to beresponsible for the leasing aspect of a chapter house. They wantedthe Foundation to take over ownership of the apartments while thealumnae own and operate individual chapter houses. Second, some ofthe sororities are in redevelopment project areas and the Foundationwanted to permanently relocate them, Nakata said.
After the design process is complete, the Foundation will beginformulating rules, regulations and operations procedures, Nakatasaid. Undergraduate sorority members will be involved in the customdesign of their chapter houses while alumnae will help in thepreliminary phase, Nakata said.
The Foundation will ask interested sororities for a letter ofintent at the end of the year, along with a $10,000 deposit.
If more than five sororities decide to be a part of Sorority Row,the Foundation will attempt to acquire property in Greek Circle andexpand the site.
Construction is slated to begin in early 2004 and be completed byAugust 2005. However, construction for Fraternity Row was scheduledto be completed in July 2002, but because of missed constructiondates, it didn't open until September.
The chapter houses will be attached to apartment units becausesorority members wanted to enter chapter houses in their pajamas,hang out and participate in social bonding activities, Nakata said.
The houses will be two stories and are estimated to be 2,800 to3,400 square feet. The 69 apartments will be two-to-four bedroomunits.
There will be three levels of underground parking with about 150gated and secured spaces.
Along with the chapter houses and attached apartments, there willbe a "live out apartment complex." The complex will provide seniormembers more freedom and privacy without having to lose contact withtheir sorority, Nakata said.
In focus groups last year, sororities suggested a public amenityfor the complex and the Foundation accommodated their wishes. Thehouses will share a pool and a spa.
Brooke Shockney, president of Sigma Kappa, said Sorority Row willbring more unity to all of the organizations.
However, the community has raised some concerns about the project.
Judi Hopps, a member of the College Area Community Council wholives directly east of the Sorority Row site, said the community'smain concern is traffic and noise.
"My feeling is you can't hear us, so we don't want to hear them,"Hopps said.
In response to the noise issue, the Foundation has hired a noiseconsultant and will give periodic reports to the CACC, Nakata said.
Access to the Sorority Row site is also a community concern. TheFoundation has hired a transportation consultant who is working onthe best way to get traffic in and out of the location. Ultimatelythe city will approve the traffic regulations.
Alice Buck, an alumna of Sigma Kappa and chair of the Project AreaCommittee, became involved with Sorority Row in 1993 when theredevelopment project was established and her national sororitycouncil asked her to represent all of the sororities' interests.
"We have been going to meetings for so many years and it's veryexciting to finally be working with the architect, to be seeingdrawings, to have a piece of land that we know that buildings arefinally going to be put on," Buck said.
While many are excited about the Sorority Row project, othersconsider the sentimental values of the houses.
"Some of the girls are really excited because it's something newand others are apprehensive because we will be losing out onheritage," Shockney said.
Many of the sorority chapter houses have been standing for 50years -- though they may look nice, some are a bit run-down, Bucksaid.
"There are twinges of losing our independent, stand-alone houseson one side, and on the other side, we are going to have these brandnew beautiful, sparkling chapter houses with apartments for the girlsto live in and we don't have to be responsible for that kind ofmanagement," Buck said.
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