SOUTH PORTLAND – The word “arcade” might not conjure up a place where parents and their children would play games together or where students could get homework help after school, but that is exactly the type of arcade that Chris Perks is planning to bring to the Knightville section of South Portland.

The proposal for the Portland Arcade, which would feature retro games such as Ms. Pacman and Donkey Kong, as well as some of the more modern video games played on Wii or Xbox systems, received approval from the South Portland Planning Board last week.

The arcade would go into the top floor of the Linscott Real Estate building at 22 Cottage Road, which is right across the street from City Hall. And Perks said the goal is to fulfill the need for “good, clean recreational fun” among teens and pre-teens in town.

Perks said he and his business partner, David Demers, felt strongly that there was a “real need for a boutique-type arcade” in southern Maine, particularly after the closing of Chuck E Cheese’s at the Maine Mall. He also called the project “a labor of love.”

The city’s Planning and Development Director Tex Haeuser called the proposal “kind of interesting” as well as an “unusual project.” But, he was also fully supportive of the idea.

Perks said his overall goal is to “offer something that fits in with the family-friendly neighborhood.” He and Demers searched long and hard for just the right commercial property to house their arcade, Perks said, and they immediately fell in love with Knightville.

He said it’s his hope that the Portland Arcade would become almost like a community center, a place where kids could go after school and keep out of trouble, while also getting homework and SAT prep help.

Perks, who was a high school teacher for 10 years, said the time between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. is the time that kids are apt to find trouble unless they have something to do. He said the arcade would operate on a ticketing system, so that people could buy a ticket for specific time limit of play.

That way all the games would be free, and there would not be the coming and going that is associated with arcades where people can just drop by for 10 minutes, put in a couple quarters and play a game.

“We want to be respectful of the neighborhood and are really focused on offering good, clean fun,” Perks reiterated. In addition to birthday parties, he said the arcade would also offer team-building events to local companies.

In addition to video games, and traditional games like darts and foosball, Perks said that Portland Arcade would also offer board games and cards.

He said only about 30 to 35 tickets would be sold per night, so that people would have a chance to play games and not “be waiting in line to play.”

Perks also said the arcade has no intention of seeking a liquor license and is hoping to be “an alternative to the bar scene.” Initially, the arcade would only be open on weekends, and then Perks and Demers would build up to offering after-school times, as well as weekday evenings.

As approved by the Planning Board, the arcade’s hours would be 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-11:45 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.-9 p.m. on Sunday.

Perks said the fees would likely be $5 for two to three hours on weekday afternoons and $10 to $15 for a full evening.

Board member Rob Schreiber said the arcade was a “great idea. It will be like a community center and it will get people out of their homes to intermingle.”

And board member Caroline Hendry added, “We want you to be successful.”