Newspaper Page Text
COMMUNITY
Mayor Mike Davis: All types of residences are important
Dunwoody resi
dents regularly de
bate the role apart
ments play in their
city.
Some argue
apartments lead to
overcrowding in
some schools. Oth
ers say the ratio be
tween apartments
and single-family
homes is out of bal
ance. Recently, the
city was accused in
a federal court lawsuit of harassing own
ers of low-income apartments, and dis
criminating against low-income resi
dents by trying to thwart development
of affordable, multi-family housing in
the city. The city has denied the claims
and asked the lawsuit be dimissed.
We asked Mayor Mike Davis a few
questions about the city’s relationship
to apartments and apartment develop
ment. Here are his answers.
Mayor Mike Davis
Use Plan, there are roughly 10,000
apartment units spread out over
51 multi-family residential com
plexes. I don’t feel we have a glut
of apartments, but I feel the city
needs to appropriately manage de
velopment and code compliance
to ensure that the health, safety
and well-being of all residents is
being safeguarded by the city.
§ 1 You have said in pub-
—lie speeches that the
need to control or improve
apartments was among the reasons the
city of Dunwoody was formed. Do
you feel the ratio of apartments to sin
gle-family homes in Dunwoody is out
of balance? What is the city doing to
rectify any problems with apartments?
A.
O
How many apartments now
* exist in Dunwoody? Do you
feel there are too many?
A.
Based on the data from most
recent U.S. Census as well as
the city’s 2010 Comprehensive Land
I have stated that one of the
reasons we became a city was
to help establish greater local control.
And by local control, I mean local resi
dents, city staff and elected officials
working together to best manage the
growth, development and quality of life
within the boundaries of the city.
Unfortunately, there is no perfect ra
tio or equation to define the appropriate
amount of homes to apartments in a city
of 46,000 residents. I believe the criti
SEPTEMBER 27-DCTDBER 2D
WRITTEN AND CREATED BY ROGER BEAN
MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS RYJDN NEWTON
VOCAL AND MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS OY MICHAEL RORTH
8 | SEPT.20 —OCT.3,2013 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net
cal factors to consider when fostering
appropriate community development
guidelines and standards include the
safety, health and well-being of existing
and future residents, and the infrastruc
ture capabilities (water, roads, drain
age, schools/educational facilities, parks,
public transportation, convenient access
to jobs, leisure activities, educational fa
cilities, shopping, etc.) of an urban/sub-
urban area that is 13.2 square miles.
The city is working with all apart
ment owners to ensure proper compli
ance with the established codes to safe
guard the health, safety and well-being
of all residents.
A recent federal lawsuit ac
cuses the city of using hous
ing code enforcement to harass own
ers of old apartment complexes. What
is the city doing to force compliance
with its housing codes? What effect
have any intensified enforcement mea
sures had?
A. Addressing the life safety and
property maintenance issues
of the apartments, townhomes, and
condominiums in our city is of critical
importance, and greatly enhances the
quality of life for all our citizens. On
April 12, 2010, the mayor and city
council implemented the Multi-Family
Code Compliance Program based on
the International Property Maintenance
Code as well as other national and state
standards, and addressed appropriate
staffing levels in the Community Devel
opment Department to properly sup
port the program. The city of Dun-
woody’s Multi-Family Code Compliance
Program requires both interior and exte
rior inspections of multi-family residen
tial complexes.
When the program began, city staff
witnessed first-hand a large number of
code-required safety features that were
either missing completely or not main
tained properly, which was likely due
to lax oversight for these apartments,
townhomes, and condominiums prior
to the city’s incorporation.
All apartments and condominiums
in the city are subject to the inspec
tion program, regardless of age of com
plex or form of ownership. The program
has identified and resulted in the correc
tion of hundreds of immediate, life-safe
ty hazards to our residents.
For Dunwoody, the real success and
effect of the code compliance program
are not the numbers of violations ad
dressed, but the potential tragedies pre
vented through the proactive code com
pliance monitoring. When a property’s
maintenance issues are not addressed,
residents are put in harm’s way, and the
health safety and well-being of the resi
dents suffers. In addition, property val
ues are lessened, which depresses occu
pancy rates, creating a downward spiral,
and negatively impacting the potential
for economic growth.
( 1 Regarding the Perimeter
—y* Center portion of the city,
there’s a lot of talk about multi-use de
velopment and denser development,
which presumably would include
apartments. How do you allow Perim
eter to develop as a “live-work-play”
community attracting younger resi
dents, and not allow development of
more apartments?
A
We recognize the value of
* creating mixed-use, transit-
oriented development within walking
distance of public transit stations. How
ever, we also have concerns about the
impact of such development on the
city’s infrastructure and schools. Prior to
incorporation, DeKalb County zoning
regulations permitted or “entitled” ap
proximately 4,500 additional apartment
units for various properties across the
Perimeter area in Dunwoody.
Through the creation of the city’s
Comprehensive Land Use Plan, a vision
for the Perimeter area was established by
our community.
The vision was to create a “livable” re
gional center with first-class office, retail
and high-end restaurants in a pedestri
an- and bicycle-oriented environment
that serves as a regional example of high-
quality design standards. In addition,
the city of Dunwoody works in part
nership with the Perimeter Communi
ty Improvement Districts (PCIDs) to
implement and complement the frame
work plan and projects identified in the
Perimeter Center Livable Centers Initia
tive study (LCI).
o
What do you see as the role
* of apartments in Dun-
woody’s future?
A
I believe all forms of residen-
* tial accommodations are im
portant to the city. New housing will be
considered appropriate if accompanied
by a mechanism that determines if exist
ing or proposed recreation, open space,
schools and other infrastructure can
support new residents. As I mentioned,
previously established zoning regula
tions from DeKalb County permitted or
“entitled” approximately 4,500 addi
tional apartment units for various areas
across Dunwoody. While the city pre
fers low-density single-family and multi
family owner-occupied housing, the city
seeks to promote a “livable” regional
center with a strong quality of life, fos
tered by active civic engagement across
all demographic groups as outlined in
the city’s Comprehensive Land Use
Plan.
City planning and programming
aims to make Dunwoody a “lifelong
community”: that is, a place individuals
can live throughout their lifetime, and
which provides a full range of options
for residents.
DUN
