Seaboard Station preservation deal reached

Raleigh City Council gave the go ahead to a rezoning of the Seaboard Station property on Tuesday, allowing for up to 20 stories to be built on the property currently home to Logan's Garden Shop.

• In exchange, the developer, Turnbridge Equities, agreed to conditions that would guarantee preservation of the historic Seaboard Station.

Why it matters: Turnbridge's initial plans to demolish the old train station — which never received a historic landmark designation — met backlash from local residents who feared losing another local landmark to new development.

• The station dates back to 1942 and was Raleigh's main train station for decades. It's also one of the few remaining buildings from the era of segregation.

Details: Turnbridge agreed to preserve a minimum of 50% of the station either on the property or in a relocated space. Jason Davis, of Turnbridge, said his company's goal is to preserve its entire ticketing and waiting area and move it to the northern end of the property.

• If it isn't able to preserve at least 50% of the building, Turnbridge can only build up to seven stories on the property.

What they're saying: Dana Deaton, of the Save Seaboard Station group, said the conditions were the result of an extensive back-and-forth with the developer.

• "As with any compromise, no one is 100 percent happy," Deaton told the City Council. "However, we feel that we have accomplished our original goals, which were: one, to convince the developer to save the train station … and two, raise awareness of this historic building to our community."