The Seaboard Train Station development in Raleigh is moving forward with plans for new towers and the train station to be relocated.

After agreeing to save the train station and receiving rezoning approval for 707 Semart Drive, developer Turnbridge Equities of New York moved quickly to file site plans with the city. The development will be two towers with the train station shifted to the northern part of the property, which is off Peace Street.

Site plans show the residential portion will have 680 total units with a mix of studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom units. There will be 26,641 square feet of amenities, 11,826 square feet of retail space and a 270,700-square-foot parking garage.

The 16-story tower will have 5,918 square feet of retail space, a fitness space and bike storage all on ground-level with residential units above. The 20-story tower will include a screened parking garage lined with residences, 3,350 square feet of retail with residences above and three 922-square-foot townhomes with direct street access.

“Providing variety [in residences] is important, everybody has different needs,” Turnbridge Managing Director Jason Davis said. 

The cost for the project will be approximately $200 million, according to Davis. Turnbridge estimates starting construction in 2025. There will be two phases, with phase one delivering 300 residential units and half the parking garage and taking two years to complete. Phase two will take another two years to complete after phase one.

The train station relocation will be a months-long process. Originally, Turnbridge was going to demolish the historic train station, but after public pushback, the company agreed to save the station and relocate it on the property. If the company does not preserve at least 50 percent of the building or relocate it, development will be restricted to seven stories, effectively killing the project.

Logan's Garden Shop, which has been housed at the train station for decades, is building a new location in Raleigh.

The process of moving the train station will be complicated, but Davis said they’re working with companies who are experienced and specialize in moving buildings. Since the train station was constructed on an elevated slab, it makes it a little easier as the company will put structures under the slab, lift the entire structure and move it 100 yards north. Turnbridge does not have a cost estimate for moving the structure yet.

Davis said they will add a modern back-of-house structure to the train station while maintaining the former ticketing and waiting area. In addition, a public plaza will be added to the northern end of the project to allow the train station to have space separating it from the towers. Turnbridge wanted to ensure the station did not become embedded into the tower development. The southern end will also have a public plaza where the platform canopies will be preserved and used for future public events and programming. Retail will open up into this space.

Community amenities will include a swimming pool, fitness center, wellness areas, lounge spaces, outdoor amenities and a clubhouse. Originally, Turnbridge was going to include office space, and while the zoning allows the development to have multiple uses, Davis said the site is best suited for residential and retail. While Turnbridge hasn’t talked with any potential retailers, it is planning on providing retail that complements Hoffman & Associates' Seaboard Station mixed-use development, an adjacent but separate project that's underway and expected to be finished before Turnbridge’s development.

Turnbridge acquired the 2.92-acre property in December 2021 for $8.5 million. The land and building are currently assessed for $8.46 million. Turnbridge has a history of preserving historical structures and enveloping them into its development plans. It preserved the original Creamery building in its development plan for the old Pine State milk factory in Glenwood South and maintained the original warehouse buildings in its development along the 300 block of W. Martin St.

--From November 9, 2022 TBJ Article: https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2022/11/09/seaboard-train-station-development-update-raleigh.html 

Congratulations!  The Save Seaboard Train Station group was recognized on October 5 at the City of Raleigh Historic Resources and Museum Advisory Board Volunteer Banquet!  The banquet was held outside in Moore Square. Taskforce members received the "Outstanding Group Project Award" for their efforts to save the historic train station.

September 19 public statement, read before Council:

707 Semart Drive was sold by the Logan family to Turnbridge Equities in December 2021, and in the months since then several groups of community members, preservationists, architects, and concerned citizens have joined together to advocate for the preservation of this historic train station. By right and in accordance with current zoning, Turnbridge could demolish the building and build up to seven stories, similar to what Hoffman has done with other parcels in the Seaboard Station area. Despite being approached by preservation groups, the Logan family refused to place the station on the historic register as a Landmarked Property and sold it with no protections.

During the past ten months, Turnbridge representatives have met with members of several preservation groups many times. At the beginning of these discussions the entire train station was going to be demolished. Through negotiations and lengthy conversations, the final set of zoning conditions evolved. The zoning conditions that City Council will vote on on September 20, 2022 represent a great deal of compromise on the part of both the developer and the Save the Train Station citizen groups.  As with any compromise, no one is 100% happy.  However we feel that we have accomplished our original goals which were: 1) Convince the developer to save the train station or preserve meaningful portions of it. 2) Raise awareness of the importance of this historic building to our community. 

After careful negotiations, review of the revised conditions, and verbal assurance from the developers, a majority of our final nine-member taskforce agreed to the final conditions. On Tuesday, September 13, we emailed City Council to inform them that we would not oppose the final conditions. View the final conditions and learn more about the 707 Semart rezoning case here: http://go.boarddocs.com/nc/raleigh/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CJ2HB44788AD

Will the entire train station be saved in its original location? No, but a minimum of 50% of the main part of the building, including the eastern facade, will be saved either in place or on their parcel, or Turnbridge or another group can move it to an adjacent property. If not, Turnbridge will not be able to build more than seven stories. Do we feel that this is “meaningful preservation”?  Yes. 

Jason Davis from Turnbridge, along with attorney Jamie Schwedler, agree that they will work to save more than 50% percent of the building. While an “assurance” clause cannot be legally placed in the conditions, our group as well as the Mayor and Council are assured that Turnbridge in good faith and in accordance with their aspirational language will work to preserve more than the minimum which is outlined in the conditions. 

Who are we? Two committees were formed (1) by the Mordecai CAC in January 2022, with Dana Deaton and Matthew Brown as co-chairs (2) in March 2021 by a group of historians and preservationists, architects, and historians, led by Gaston Williams. In June 2022 following the rezoning vote at the Planning Commission, our groups joined together.  Prior to the September 6 City Council meeting we formed a loose nine member taskforce to plan our strategy and comments to Council, raise community awareness of the issue, and promote a petition which has gathered over 3800 signatures in support of preservation efforts.

Our taskforce, along with many citizens active in our efforts, accepts the final conditions. We hope that all of the hard work we have done over the past 10 months will pay off as we see the historic Seaboard Train Station incorporated into a new Turnbridge development. We hope that Raleigh citizens will be reminded of these efforts every time they visit the Seaboard area and learn about our local history. And we hope that future preservation efforts can be more successful at convincing property owners to place buildings on the historic registry and/or Landmark list, so more of our historic buildings are not lost. 

Feel free to email us at savethestation@mordecaicac.org. We will continue to advocate for the preservation of the station in a meaningful way and would appreciate your support.   

Thank you to everyone for signing the petition to save the station: https://www.change.org/p/save-seaboard-train-station

Save Seaboard Train Station Preservation advocates

Dana Deaton

Matthew Brown

Gaston Williams

Ruth Little

Frank Harmon

Esther Hall

John Reese

Donna Bailey

Merrilee Jacobson
Shane Trahan 

July/August news articles:
https://indyweek.com/news/wake/saving-seaboard-station/
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article263665643.html
https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2022/07/20/raleighs-seaboard-train-station-to-be-saved-in-ne.html
https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2022/07/27/seaboard-station-possible-demolition-raleigh 
https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/preservation-group-working-to-save-old-seaboard-train-station-in-raleigh/

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Note: While many people refer to the entire area around the historic train station as "Seaboard Station", there are several properties with  different owners and developers. 

1) The new Seaboard Station development is under construction.  It is owned by Hoffman and Associates.  Learn more on their website OR scroll down for an FAQ. https://seaboardstation.com/

2) 707 Semart Drive is the site of Logan's Garden Shop which occupies the former Seaboard Train Station building.  The Logan's Garden Shop parcel was sold in December 2021.  The Logan family sold their property to Turnbridge Equities, who filed for rezoning*.  https://cityofraleigh0drupal.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/drupal-prod/COR22/Z-005-22.pdf

3) 111 Seaboard is the site of Bad Daddy's, the Eye Institute, Sola Salon, and other businesses.  The refurbished 111 Seaboard Building is "the gateway to Downtown Raleigh and Seabard Station", and is owned and managed by York Properties. https://www.mcdonaldyork.com/portfolio/111-seaboard/

The following FAQ is for the Hoffman Seaboard Station development. It was written in 2020. For more recent updates visit:  https://seaboardstation.com/

SEABOARD STATION FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)  

1. Q: What is planned for Seaboard Station? 

A: The property is being redeveloped over time into multiple mixed-use buildings with ground floor retail and structured parking. The first phase will include a 7-story, 298-unit apartment building with approximately 30,000 SF retail. This will be built at the current location of the tennis courts and 18 Seaboard building (Block B). 

A second component (Block A), originally planned for Phase 1, will include a 149-room hotel, 75 apartments, and 11,300 square feet of retail on the corner of Peace and Halifax Streets. 

Phase 2 (Block C) is planned to include approximately 260 apartments and roughly 55,000 square feet of retail. The building containing O2 Fitness and Ace Hardware (Block D) will likely remain in its current condition for the foreseeable future. 

2. Q: When are you starting construction? How long will it be under construction? 

A: We expect to complete construction of Phase I in the fall of 2022. Block C is in the planning stage and timing is to be determined, however we hope that these phases at Seaboard Station are complete by the end of 2025. 

3. Q: How much parking will be in Block B? 

A: There are 489 structured parking spaces located at and below grade. 

4. Q: What will happen to the existing tenants? 

A: We hope that the existing tenants will remain at Seaboard Station, but the lease terms must make sense for both the tenant and landlord. 

5. Q: Are Logan’s and the Bad Daddy’s Shopping Center Part of the redevelopment? 

A: No, they are neighboring properties with different ownership. 

6. Q: Will all the residential in the project be for sale or rental? 

A: At this time, all planned residential is apartments.

7. Q: Is there any affordable housing planned at Seaboard Station? 

A: At present, there is no plan for income-restricted affordable housing. All housing will be market rate. 

8. Q: Will there be a left turn lane and arrow turning from Peace Street onto Halifax Street? 

A: There is currently an eastbound left-turn lane on Peace at Halifax, but no protected leftturn arrow. A left turn arrow will be implemented when Block A (parcel at the corner of Halifax & Peace Streets) construction is complete. 

9. Q: Is a bike lane going to be built on Peace Street? 

A: The City Street Plan calls for a bike lane on Peace Street, and Block A (parcel at the corner of Peace & Halifax) will dedicate and build the extra pavement on that frontage to allow for a bike lane, but it is up to the City to implement the facilities when feasible. One potential impediment to connecting Seaboard to the Glenwood via a bike lane is the bottleneck caused to the right-of-way at the railroad bridge. 

10. Q: How will traffic and pedestrian access be affected by Block B construction? 

A: There will be sporadic temporary road closures at Seaboard Station due to streetscape improvements and water and sewer upgrades. We plan to maintain two means of access to the shopping center at all times. Developer will send street closure information to the CAC via email notification, and all street, sidewalk, and other improvements has been planned and coordinated with the City with the City of Raleigh. 

During construction, access to on-street parking will be limited in the following areas: 

• Street parking on the north-side and south-side of Seaboard Ave between Halifax and Seaboard Station drive will be closed 

• Street parking on Franklin Street will be closed. 

Construction will also require some temporary sidewalk closures, including: 

• The sidewalk on the north-side of Seaboard Ave between Halifax and Seaboard Station Ave will also be closed, but the sidewalk on the Southside will remain open. 

• The sidewalk on the south-side of Franklin Street will be closed, but the north-side will remain open. 

11. Q: What times will construction occur on the site? 

A: Construction will start no earlier than at 7:00AM and will typically work will be done by 6:00 PM. There may be rare occasions where work may go as late as 8:30 PM. 

12. Q: Who is the contractor? How do I contact them if I have specific concerns during construction? 

A: Clancy & Theys is the general contractor for the project. The project contact superintendent is Patrick Whitehurst. He can be contacted at: patrickwhitehurst@clancytheys.com 

Hoffman staff are based on-site and will oversee construction on behalf of the company. Should you have any concerns please email: SeaboardDevelopment@hoffman-dev.com