Mayor Mike Davis all about business

Newly elected Mayor Mike Davis sees the business of Dunwoody as business.

In his first “State of the City Address,” Davis said he sees no reason that the roughly three-year-old city shouldn’t be able to build on a foundation of companies that already includes the InteContinental Hotels Group, T-Mobile and Allscripts.

From high-end residences, to low taxes and good public schools, “we really have everything in place for Fortune 500 companies,” Davis said.

Davis, seated on the City Council in January, addressed hundreds of civic leaders Tuesday night inside a large ballroom at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia hotel.

Dunwoody’s “State of the City” address has become an anticipated yearly event that’s sponsored by some of the city’s more influential organizations and businesses, as well as contractors who work directly for the city.

Davis’ message to the business groups and residents who attended was pretty straightforward.

Dunwoody has maintained some of the lowest taxes in DeKalb County, while creating its own police force, girding against a wave of big apartment complexes and grabbing local control of future city growth through zoning, he said.

Those distinctions have made the city very attractive to businesses that seek to locate in and around Atlanta. In 2011, more than 375 new businesses have come to Dunwoody.

Davis wants to attract more.

“Dunwoody is the cheapest city in DeKalb County,” Davis said. “We do a good job and we plan to keep it that way.”

Davis also acknowledged challenges the city faces. The commercial real estate market around Atlanta is highly competitive, especially in the midst of a down economy.

Dunwoody has some 2.3-million-square-feet of Class A office space that’s unoccupied. He recently asked the city’s economic development director, Michael Starling how much that amounted to.

“A lot,” Starling quipped.

In total, the unoccupied office space currently in Dunwoody could add up to around 10,000 jobs, Davis said.

Davis also addressed some of the nuts and bolts issues the City Council will face in the upcoming year. An aging city storm water system valued at $87 million needs to be repaired, which could raise taxes for Dunwoody residents.

A “diverging diamond” roadway improvement scheduled at I-285 and Ashford Dunwoody needs to provide traffic relief, or it could be a factor in driving businesses away due to congestion, he said.

Also, while the city’s schools are well regarded, Dunwoody's leaders needs to get the word out that they are better than those in DeKalb County at large to help attract businesses, he said.