He envisions an underground chapel. His neighbors foresee traffic and other woes.

Mark Boone has many challenges in his quest to build an underground chapel where he hopes visitors can connect with God and nature.

Raise a lot of money. Tunnel 150 feet into the earth. Keep the whole thing from flooding.

But first, Boone faces what might prove his biggest challenge of all: convincing his skeptical neighbors that this isn’t some cockamamie plan that will destroy their North Raleigh community.

Many people are already pushing back against Boone’s early plans for a 6,000-square-foot underground chapel off of Ebenezer Church Road, about 9 miles northwest of downtown Raleigh. Boone, 67, envisions a naturally lit space that could fit about 250 people who gather for worship services, concerts and weddings.

His neighbors, meanwhile, envision traffic nightmares and loud noises that would disrupt their tranquility next to Umstead State Park.

“I’d hate to have to move,” said Bob Koury, 67, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1985 and opposes the chapel. “We’ve got pretty strong roots around here.”

Rezoning needed

Boone, who owns a consulting company, wants to ask the city of Raleigh to rezone his property from residential to neighborhood mixed use. A church can operate in residential areas, but an entertainment venue cannot.

About 80 people showed up to a neighborhood meeting Boone hosted July 5 to present his plan. All but a handful opposed the project.

“It became obvious to me that many people there don’t like that idea,” Boone said. “The meeting got a little rowdy.”

Jean Spooner was among those who opposed the chapel. Such a project should not be built so close to Umstead State Park, which sees more than 1 million visitors a year, said Spooner, who is chairwoman of the Umstead Coalition.

The project could lead to loss of vegetation, Spooner said, and it could also affect stormwater runoff.

Spooner said she understands that Boone wants to create a place where people can find serenity in nature, but “Umstead State Park is the public facility that does just that.”

Other concerns

Neighbors say they also have other concerns about Boone’s property, which spans three lots. The city notified Boone in May that he should have gotten a permit before he built a shed. Last month, the city issued a “notice of violation” regarding his son’s business, Precision Landscaping, which improperly stored trucks and equipment on the property.

Both cases stemmed from complaints, according to the city.

Boone said he hadn’t realized he was doing anything wrong when he built the shed or allowed his son to store work equipment.

“I had no idea that parking two pieces of equipment constitutes operating a business,” Boone said. “Apparently it does.”

Despite the early opposition, Boone isn’t giving up on the underground chapel.

Boone came up with the idea years ago, and he said his commitment is as strong as ever.

He’s working with an architect, and crews have drilled 100 feet into the ground on his 7-acre property to make sure everything is geologically sound. (Boone said it is.)

The $5 million project still has a long way to go in terms of fundraising. Boone said he has raised less than $100,000 so far, but an organization has expressed interest in contributing $1 million.

Some iconic projects around the world faced major opposition, Boone said. Parisians hated the Eiffel Tower as it was being built in 1887. Some people weren’t thrilled with the Christ the Redeemer statue that went up in 1922 in Rio de Janeiro.

“My sense is that this could be that, too,” Boone said of the underground chapel.

Chapels built below the earth exist around the world, but Boone said his project would be one-of-a-kind in the United States. It would last for thousands of years, he said, and offer a glimpse of the 21st century for future generations.

“I think it will be good for our city to have such a place people can come and visit if they want to,” he said.

Traffic has undoubtedly increased on Ebenezer Church Road over the years, as new homes have been built. Boone said his chapel would not be “significantly more disruptive” than two churches that are already on the road — Pilgrim Orthodox Presbyterian and Ebenezer Community Baptist.

And as for parking? Boone said valet might be an option. And in a few hundred years, when the chapel is still intact, cars as we know them might be long gone.

“Maybe you whistle and something picks you up,” he said. “Maybe you fly. Who knows?”

This story was originally published July 16, 2018 at 12:59 PM with the headline "He envisions an underground chapel. His neighbors foresee traffic and other woes.."