Most passing the 7.18 acres of almost barren land on the stretch between the curves on Atherton Drive between Airport Way and Union Road see just weeds and a small block structure housing a municipal water well.

Rod Scott sees something entirely different.

He sees a 40-lane bowling alley at the heart of a family entertainment center complete with a massive arcade, a full-service restaurant, and outdoor beer garden.

It also includes a sky lounge overlooking the 40-lane bowling alley dubbed Three Strikes.

Scott also sees a place where lifelong memories are made during wedding ceremonies in a chapel and a follow up celebration reception dinner that can be viewed live by virtual guests across the country and around the world.

Scott moved a step closer to making that vision a reality Thursday when the Manteca Planning Commission Thursday approved plans for the project.

It consists of two buildings:

*A 2-story banquet hall/events center consisting of 54,900 square feet.

*A bowling alley/family entertainment center involving 82,009 square feet.

You can get an idea of what Scott has in mind by visiting his Ten Pin Fun Center on Countryside Drive off Highway 99 in Turlock.

The Turlock family entertainment center also has laser tag, billiards, and arcade.

It has 34 lanes — 6 less than the Manteca location will have.

The Manteca bowling alley/family entertainment center is 30,000 square feet larger.

The Atherton Drive location will have a dozen 20-seat banquet rooms, a 6,000 square-foot arcade, a 6,500 square-foot restaurant, a sky lounge like in Turlock, beer garden, and 400 square-foot pro shop.

The banquet hall/conference center will include:

*three 200-person capacity rooms.

*two 100-person capacity rooms.

*16,400 square feet of assembly space.

*two chapels.

*six brides and grooms dressing rooms.

*large full-service kitchen with two complete service lines, one for domestic food preparation and one for ethnic food preparation.

*full video center for live recording of events.

Scott said couples married there will be handed a USB flash drive as they are leaving with both the wedding and reception recorded.

There will be three elevators including one dedicated exclusively for service use.

Scott and his development team met with nearby residents to share their vision, answer questions, listen to concerns, and make adjustments as needed to be “good neighbors.”

Being good neighbors means 178 Italian cypresses that grow at a rate of three feet a year will be planted along the sound wall separating the commercial site from adjacent homes.

They are evergreens that typically grow to an average of 50 feet and 3 feet in width.

There will also be 432 shade trees planted throughout the 435-space parking lot.

Details involving city requirements and operating hours for the bowling alley/family entertainment center and banquet hall/conference center are as follows:

*a traffic signal on Atherton Drive at the midway driveway that will also tie into with a separated bikeway on the north side of the arterial.

*a narrow “finger” median along with a left turn pocket will be created on Atherton.

*that finger median would also serve to enforce the right turn only requirement for two secondary access driveways from Atherton.

*pedestrian access, but no vehicle access, from Oleander Avenue that will end in a terminus on the south side of the parcel.

*that access will require a grassy area with removable bollards so it can double as emergency access for fire.

*operating hours for the bowling alley will be Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., and varied holiday hours.

*7-foot soundwalls between the parcel and homes backing up to it.

*a 10-foot wide landscape buffer strip along the residential sound wall.

*sound baffling components built into the southern walls of both buildings.

*no windows will face the south.

*all roof-top mechanical equipment will be screened from view.

*a 6-foot soundwall around a municipal water well.

*the two facilities will share a 435-space parking lot. For comparison, the Big League Dreams sports complex has 535 parking spaces.

 To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com