I think that a DBA can benefit significanlty having developer skills much like I think a developer can benefit significantly having DBA skills. I do however believe strongly that they should be more focussed on their actual role and use the ansillary skills as a perk\benefit not a dependency. You can always interact better with other folks if you can understand their perspective a bit.

I would be lost without the small dev abilities I have.

I do however think that more emphasis should be placed on communication, troubleshooting and research. A certified DBA has proven one thing to me. They can read and recite a book. While I know some will find that comment insulting, that is all that is required to pass a test. Now that does not mean that all certified DBAs read a book to take the test. Some may have adequate experience only to be able to pass however that is likely slim. Certifying on a platform validates that you have a baseline of knowledge to improve upon your skills of troubleshooting, research and communication. A quality DBA can be more nimble with better skills at learning and reacting to new situations on the fly than knowing a discreet list of answers. Development skills simply build the portfolio of background abilities and though processes.