Arlington voters passed the referendum by a 2:1 margin. Eminent domain authority was granted by the Texas legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ann Richards. At the time, Bush only had a $600,000 stake in the team. Jeb Bush had zero involvement. You have to hand it to GWB. He's a helluva businessman.
Bush and his team got the City of Arlington to do his dirty work (eminent domain) on private properties and then walked away with a tidy profit.
The vast majority of the land in question was owned by the City of Arlington. It was the State of Texas that granted eminent domain power to the Arlington Sports Facilities Development Authority. As for the remainder of the land (approx. 13 acres), a dispute was incurred because the authority low-bid the compensation for the property, offering $820,000. The landowners took it to court, asking for $2.85 mil. The plaintiffs won - the judge ordered compensation of $4.98 million. This is how eminent domain works.
The City of Arlington also sued, and lost.
Bush had no involvement.