Mark Cuban’s Letters to Jennifer Staubach Gates Are a Virtual Eyeroll at Neighbors

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Sure he hasn’t technically done anything wrong, but Mark Cuban’s unwillingness to kowtow to the neighboring homeowners of  the spate of Preston Hollow properties he’s recently bought up sure doesn’t seem, well, neighborly.

He’s cleared trees from the estates that line Northwest Highway and Preston Road, leaving little visual screening from the busy six-lane thoroughfare. Dallas City Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates says Cuban can do what he wants with his property, and that he hasn’t done anything to run afoul of city regulations. Still, he’s refused to meet with residents and doesn’t seem interested in the Preston Hollow Area Study. Of course, these are the same homeowners who arranged angry town halls over residential developments on two corners of Northwest Highway and Preston Road, so they may already be sharpening their pitchforks and lighting their torches.

In a story from the intrepid Eric Nicholson over at the Observer, emails between Cuban and Gates paint the billionaire as someone who sounds a lot like Cartman. To help you digest the emails, we’ve added a few fun gifs of Cuban doing what we imagine as he reads and replies to Gates:

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“I believe a face to face meeting would help calm emotions and possibly lead to some harmony in the neighborhood.”

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“If it takes 5, 10, 20 years to do something I’m happy. Things change over time and I’m patient”

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“Would you work with the neighbors and allow them to construct and maintain a fence along NWH? I know they desire the screening and I believe it would create a more secure environment.”

Gates got radio silence, so she followed up a week or so later:

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“I sent a follow-up email earlier this week (copied below, which included a request from your neighbors that would allow them to maintain a fence along NWH to protect the residential nature of the neighborhood.”

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“No. I’m not willing to let a 3rd party put a fence on land I own. That’s a crazy idea … Go Mavs!”

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Joanna England is the Executive Editor at CandysDirt.com and covers the North Texas housing market.

8 Comments

  1. ArgoSanct on December 16, 2014 at 10:01 am

    Oooh this is getting goood!! That last email was perfect. Typical Cuban. Love the gifs!

    • Cheryl Tredway on December 18, 2014 at 8:57 pm

      I’ll get the popcorn. I’m sure this is far from over.

  2. jOHN on December 16, 2014 at 10:47 am

    “Gates says he can do what he wants with his property,”

    Wrong billionaire 🙂

    • Candy Evans on December 17, 2014 at 10:04 am

      It’s so hard to keep them all straight!

  3. RandomReader on December 16, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    Gentrification isn’t so great when it’s your backyard, is it Preston Hollow?

  4. JJ on December 16, 2014 at 5:17 pm

    Oh, this is too good. I just love when frustrated, rich baby boomers cannot get their way. He’s a smart man and I’m sure has many things up his sleeves. That area is already so crowded, this will be interesting. I wish it would be several mega mansions with high gates and big trees, but come on. It’s a high-rise or shopping center just waiting to happen. Love the GIFs.

  5. Beau Lucas on December 16, 2014 at 6:04 pm

    Gee, he acts as if he owns the property. Of all the nerve! Let’s see if some group of homeowners has the temerity to try to haul him into court. I don’t think they’d like what would happen next.

  6. Cheryl Tredway on December 18, 2014 at 8:50 pm

    I was talking to my husband about this the other day. Given the outcome of the two residential projects nearby, I think things could get very interesting with Cuban in the mix. He doesn’t let others tell him what to do and he has the money and lawyers to back up his play. I’m predicting we should pop our popcorn and sit back and watch the circus begin.

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