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:
“I believe a face to face meeting would help calm emotions and possibly lead to some harmony in the neighborhood.”
“If it takes 5, 10, 20 years to do something I’m happy. Things change over time and I’m patient”
“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:
“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.”
“No. I’m not willing to let a 3rd party put a fence on land I own. That’s a crazy idea … Go Mavs!”
