The University of Tennessee's sororities will have a new home as early as 2009 on 21 grassy acres at the corner of Neyland Drive and Kingston Pike. 

The site just west of campus is bounded on its third side by Alcoa Highway and was selected following a 14-month planning process between UT and sorority chapters. 

"We basically looked at the entire campus for possible sites. This really ended up being the only viable location," said Jeff Maples, senior associate vice chancellor for finance and administration. 

The sororities requested that all the houses be located together. The proposed site, he said, is large enough to accommodate all 14 buildings -- 13 residential and one nonresidential -- as well as ample parking and green space. 

Other sites, including property along Terrace Avenue, had space or financial restraints, he said. 

Traffic at the proposed location was an initial concern for some sororities, who were informed Tuesday evening of the university's selection during a meeting at Thompson-Boling Arena. 

An average of about 14,000 vehicles use that area of Neyland Drive and about 30,000 use Kingston Pike daily, according to 2006 state traffic counts. 

And an estimated 482 students would be living in the sorority village under the current proposals submitted. 

"I think the site is great. I think there will be some obvious concerns like traffic, but UT has reassured us that those issues will be taken care of," said Danielle Morrow, president of Delta Gamma. 

UT said it would extend the campus transit system to that area. 

"Ideally, of course, you would like to have something closer to campus, but I don't know where else it could be," Morrow said. "I feel like it could have been a much worse spot." 

Hollis Loveday, a senior transportation engineer with the infrastructure consulting firm Wilbur Smith Associates, conducted an analysis of the site and ruled out access from Kingston Pike because of the on-ramp to Alcoa Highway. 

But he said it would be feasible to get adequate access off Neyland Drive. 

"We've explored several possibilities," Loveday said, including a traffic signal and lane adjustments. 

Dena White, president of Alpha Delta Pi, said she initially was concerned about the traffic but doesn't expect it to be an issue. 

"The trade off is great," White said. "We'll be able to live together and have nice facilities and still be part of a group community, which is very important." 

Alpha Omicron Pi spokeswoman Mary Beth West said the site has "tremendous potential and promise," especially given the site's visibility. 

UT opened a new visitor center this week in the former University Club. All campus tours and information sessions for visitors and prospective students will originate at the former dining and events facility. 

The UT Board of Trustees will consider the proposed sorority site at its fall meeting Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 in Knoxville. If approved, the decision would be submitted for state approval and slated as a 2007- 08 capital budget project. 

The planned sorority houses will replace the UT Panhellenic Building, a non-residential facility shared by various co-ed Greek organizations. 

Sororities will finance the construction of the individual houses through a combination of private fundraising efforts and mortgage agreements that would be paid through residential rent and various chapter fees. 

Chapters are responsible for their own house design, which must conform to architectural guidelines set by the university. 

The site hasn't been parceled out yet, so sororities don't know how much land each will get or where their houses will be on the site. 

The earliest that a sorority could move in is in 2009.