Enjoy a meal and a game of pickleball at the entertainment center near Bonsack

In addition to food and alcoholic beverages, 540 Social will also feature sports such as pickleball, cornhole, bowling, axe throwing, darts, ping pong, arcade games and mini golf. The owners say they want to offer activities for young people during the day and adults in the evening. As envisioned, the team plans to build a two-storey building with a restaurant, outdoor seating, an area for leisure sports and a live music stage.

“When the sun goes down, the customer base changes,” said Mitchell Tyler, president of the company proposing the project. This is the latest of several businesses launched by the Tyler family, whose portfolio includes: Safeside Tacticala Roanoke gun store and shooting range; Blue Ridge Axe Throwing in Blacksburg and Harrisonburg.

Family-run Trail Development Group LLC The city of Roanoke wants to build the project on the site of the former Trail Drive-In Movie Theater east of U.S. 460, according to a zoning application pending in Roanoke County.

The Trail Theatre operated from 1951 to 1985, after which it stopped showing movies and became a flea market. Trail Development has secured access to more than nine acres of vacant land between a CVS drug store on U.S. 460 and a window manufacturing plant in an adjacent industrial park, and has budgeted $10 million for land acquisition, construction and improvements, Tyler said.

Trail Development Co. is asking the county to change the land-use designation for the property from industrial to commercial. The county is scheduled to meet next month with the Planning Commission on July 2 and the Board of Supervisors on July 25 to consider the issue.

“I don't think it's too much of a ask,” Tyler said of the rezoning request. A rock-crushing plant and a truck-intensive warehouse could be built on the land, which is already zoned industrial, he said. Public-facing businesses, including banks, gas stations and restaurants, are dotted around the area.

The land is across the highway from the Roanoke Industrial Technology Center, a large industrial park.

Tyler said consultants told families there was a “surprising” lack of entertainment options in the Roanoke area. That led to 540 Social's lineup including old favorite games and trending pastimes like pickleball. At 540 Social, bowlers will throw real balls at real pins, but with the option to overlay projected images of obstacles and targets on the lanes, Mitchell said. The golf course will be like a “miniature version” of an actual golf course, unlike traditional miniature golf, where you put the ball in a lion's mouth, he said. Plans call for it to be 47,000 square feet, just over an acre.

When full, 540 Social can accommodate 600 people at a time, he said.

“The vision for this project is to return the old drive-in venue to its entertainment roots!” the rezoning application states. “Named 540 Social, it pays homage to the rich community our area code represents and is best described as 'eatertainment.' It will be anchored by a large, quality casual dining restaurant, catering to a wide range of ages and interests. From local families to tourists, first dates to corporate celebrations, our venue will leave you with fond memories of fun times spent with friends.”

Tyler said if the project is approved, it could open as soon as late as 2025.