READ ABOUT MY VOTES HELLO, I want to work for you. I'm excited to have won the City Council Seat for District 3 in my home town of Doraville GA. I've been a resident of this city for 32 years and have seen it go through many changes over the years. This area has so many great things going for it, yet there are a few key issues that have been holding our city back. I strongly believe I can be a catalyst for Doraville's transformation into the great city it is poised to become! Cell: 678-373-7021 Email: stephe.koontz@doravillega.us Sign up for my monthly newsletter!

My VISION As a member of the advisory panel for the 2017-2037 Comprehensive Plan, I support the future development spelled out in this study. That said, TADs and the like are not something we should enter into lightly. ​ You can read more about it here. ​ For this plan to ever come to fruition without a huge tax load on the citizens will require leadership, commitment and very careful review of any partnerships we enter into.

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY This is an important topic, yet I believe the situation in Doraville requires a different approach from what what has been done in other cities. Right now Doraville has a lot of existing housing that is very affordable. Requiring that new development includes a percentage of "workforce housing" is part of the solution to the housing crisis, but we also need to protect the present housing.



What needs to be done is: looking for creative ways of providing affordable options in new housing. Some of these options include micro apartment units mixed in with larger units in the same complex. The goal is to provide a diverse mix of price points in the same development.

OUR SCHOOLS A key problem our city faces is the aging school facilities. We need to work harder to make sure our citizens have access to quality schools. Improving this will help bring in quality redevelopment. ​ For this to happen requires someone to step forward and organize the community into a common voice. There are multiple languages spoken here, which makes organization more difficult. But that doesn't mean it's not possible.

GREEN LIVE, WORK, PLAY Around 2009, Doraville started requiring LEED certification in all new building construction, but this requirement for environmentally responsible construction was unfortunately rolled back in 2016. I believe this was a mistake, and instead of removing the requirement, we should address the reasons why the city decided to remove it. ​ I will support reinstating this requirement, which Chamblee and Decatur both have as part of their building code. The LEED certification is not a barrier to quality developers and shows that the city is serious about its commitment to environmentally conscious development.

OUR DOWNTOWN One major thing our city is missing is a core "downtown". Over the years we have lost our identity, and building a new town center will spur development on this side of the Marta station. ​ All of the successful cities surrounding us have a central gathering space or a town core that is used for public events and gives the center of the city life. This central city area doesn't exist anymore in Doraville, we need to build it.