Dallas city council members yesterday "approved a re-zoning request" from the Mavericks that "set the wheels in motion for the possibility of the Mavs building a new arena" directly across the freeway from American Airlines Center, according to Dwain Price of the FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM. The Mavericks have been "fighting years of less and less parking at their current home due in large part to the abundances of apartments/townhomes being built nearby." Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban said, "It's really disappointing that every year we lose parking spaces and it becomes more difficult for AAC attendees to come to events. If the (AAC) lease were shorter, we would be gone sooner just because we need to put our fans first. And our neighbors certainly aren't doing that for us." Price noted the Mavs’ lease at AAC "expires on July 29, 2031." Cuban said that he will "wait at least six years before making a final decision on if he’ll leave AAC when the lease expires." Cuban: "If there would have been more respect for our fans, it’s probably not something I would even look at for 10 years.’’ Price notes the Mavs' new practice facility -- which opened in October -- "resides on 14 acres which Cuban owns." That is the property for which the City Council "approved the re-zoning request" and it should "allow for the building of the new arena" (STAR-TELEGRAM.com, 1/25). In Dallas, Robert Wilonsky notes the rezoning "would allow for structures taller than 85 feet." Cuban was asking for the so-called "height bonuses" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/26).
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: Cuban said, "Some of the companies that were originally involved with the development of the AAC are some of the neighbors that are creating difficulties for us. I don't know if there are any caveats in the agreements that allow us to contest the lease. I don't expect to find anything, but we'll look at it." He added that the parking issues around AAC are "irreversible" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/26).
