Ever since Zoey had explained how she had grown up in the Arcadian, Ted had sided with her, hoping to keep their relationship strong.
He convinces Ted that the Arcadian must go, as being able to design a building in New York would undoubtedly help his career and future.
This prompts Zoey to present voice recordings of Ted saying how he was in support of the Arcadian's preservation, particularly mentioning its ornate stonework of a lion head.
With the LPC poised to give a decision the next morning, Ted is saddened to realize they will vote to preserve the Arcadian, causing him and Barney to lose their jobs.
The next day, the LPC explain although they had been persuaded by Ted's description of the lion head stonework to preserve the Arcadian, the lion head had vanished the night before (the group got two construction workers to remove it), thus prompting them to ultimately decide not to preserve the Arcadian.
And how did they not only think this was a good idea at the start of the season, but as it became clear early and often how much it wasn’t working?