DeKalb County CEO and county commission candidates in the June 18 runoff election shared their priorities for affordable housing and homelessness Thursday during a wide-ranging panel discussion hosted by an Atlanta nonprofit.
CEO candidates Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Larry Johnson, along with District Four commission candidates Chakira Johnson and Lance Hammonds, shared the stage during a forum at Frontline Response in Gresham Park.
Natallie Keiser, executive director of advocacy group HouseATL, moderated a discussion about what can be done to help unhoused people, the candidates’ plans for private and public partnerships to boost new development, and whether they supported a long-term coordinated plan to increase housing.
In May, former commissioners Cochran-Johnson and Larry Johnson, both Democrats, commanded the most votes in a three-way race that included commissioner Steve Bradshaw. Cochran-Johnson led in 156 out of 191 precincts but fell short of the 50% threshold she needed to beat Johnson outright.
Deep into the panel discussion, Keiser noted how the county’s arduous zoning and permitting process could be deterring developers from building more homes.
The candidates said they would do their part to streamline the process so that it is easier for developers to move into the county. Hammonds said there must be “cultural change” and county officials must make the permitting process easier to attract investment.
“Perception is reality,” he said. “In the metro area, the perception among builders, developers, is DeKalb is a difficult place to do business.”
In a similar vein, Keiser asked the candidates if they would support more density in residential neighborhoods, accessory dwelling units, and cottages — solutions for which housing experts have long advocated.
Cochran-Johnson, strong on specifics and policy throughout the discussion, said she would support the construction of secondary dwellings in backyards on a “case-by-case” basis.
“I do have concerns with maintaining the integrity of communities,” she said, adding she broadly supports construction of more tiny homes and would back the use of shipping containers to address housing needs. More could be done to revitalize homes that are old or in disrepair, and transform them into affordable housing, she said.
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
In contrast, Larry Johnson was unequivocal in his support of accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, which typically max out at 800 square feet.
He said he would use his “bully pulpit” to crackdown on slumlords, support the razing of blighted communities to build affordable homes, and address discriminatory lending practices.
“A lot of folks in our communities cannot get into homes and get refinancing to fix their houses because banks are refusing to lend,” he said.
Summing up, Chakira Johnson said she would prioritize public-private partnerships and offer assistance to distressed homeowners so they can stay in their homes.
Incentivizing homeownership and providing down payment assistance to help get people into homes, were among CEO candidate Cochran-Johnson’s goals.
She added she would prioritize rental caps, and a registry to track information on LLCs and corporations buying up property in the county.
“We face a housing crisis,” Cochran-Johnson said. Institutional investors are “coming into our communities to purchase our properties. And they are disrupting our tax base as well as affecting each and every individual that lives in DeKalb County.”
Larry Johnson said one of his first executive orders would address permitting and zoning.
He said officials would be tasked with coming up with a streamlined process “so we can move forward to have affordable and workforce housing in DeKalb County.”
Early voting in the runoff election began on June 10 and ends Friday.
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