Opposition to Unlawful Hotel Plans of Former Houston Texans Player, Darryl Sharpton, Jr.

On February 21, 2023, in an interview with the Houston Chronicle, former Houston Texans player Darryl Sharpton, Jr. revealed that he intends on building 6 homes in the neighborhood of Montrose to serve as short-term rentals under his hospitality brand “The Sharpton”. Lots located at 2302 & 2308 Dunlavy Street are among the Montrose properties either directly or indirectly owned by him.

Mr. Sharpton recently filed a replat application with the City of Houston to subdivide 2308 Dunlavy Street under the name Bria Place and preparatory to building the first of his short-term rental homes. His proposed replat contains a representation that Mr. Sharpton will limit his homes to single-family residential activity, but that does not comport with his true plans as revealed in his interview.

The Sharpton houses will not be single-family residences but rather hotels both in fact and as a matter of law. Section 28-201 of the City of Houston’s Code of Ordinances defines a “Hotel” as being any “building or buildings in which the public may obtain transient sleeping accommodations” and expressly includes “tourist homes” and “houses” in the definition. That same section also defines a “Residence” as being a “permanent building or structure containing habitable rooms for nontransient occupancy”. The transient nature of short-term rentals makes The Sharpton’s true purpose incompatible with a single-family residential restriction.

However Mr. Sharpton cannot honestly ask the City to permit hotels on his Montrose properties because they all directly adjoin residential properties. Section 28-202(a)(3) of the City’s Code specifically states that the “property line of the tract on which a hotel… is situated may not abut at any point any other tract that is in whole or in part residential in character”. With regard to his Dunlavy lots in particular, they are situated in a block which is entirely residential and together they adjoin 11 single-family residential homes.

Those 11 homeowners have formed a coalition to oppose Mr. Sharpton’s duplicitous plan to seek residential replatting and permits for de facto hotels. We hereby call on like-minded citizens to join our opposition by registering to speak at the City’s next Planning Commission meeting, to be held on Thursday, March 30th at 2:30 p.m., where Mr. Sharpton’s replat will be considered. Attendance instructions are available at houstontx.gov/planning/Commissions/commiss_plan.html. Speakers must register prior to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29th.

This is an opportunity for all residents to push back against the short-term rentals that have blighted so many neighborhoods. Please stand with us, demand that the City enforce its own laws, and ensure that Mr. Sharpton doesn’t tackle your neighborhood next for his hotel brand.