House our Neighbors campaign leader Tiffani McCoy is now leading the Seattle Social Housing Developer
The Seattle Social Housing Developer is moving forward under a new leader as the Seattle City Council takes up legislation this week that will set the terms for taxpayer funding to power the new development authority to borrow enough to build or acquire 2,000 units of affordable housing over 10 years.
Tuesday morning’s meeting of the council’s Finance, Native Communities, and Tribal Governments Committee chaired by Dan Strauss will take up the ordinance allowing the city to enter into an interlocal agreement with the Seattle Social Housing Developer “to establish the terms and procedures for the implementation, administration, transfer, reporting, and oversight” of the voter-approved social housing tax.
Seattle voters approved formation of the public developer and later a 5% tax on employers who pay any employee more than $1 million in compensation to finance the program. The tax is expected to raise more than $50 million annually.
In 2025, the Seattle City Council approved a loan to fund SSH operations in the interim.
The SSHD also has a new leader. After complaints from partner organizations over his leadership style and lack of vision, CEO Roberto Jimenez has been removed by the developer’s board and replaced by affordable housing advocate Tiffani McCoy who led the campaign that won approval of the social housing development tax.
McCoy has also been a key part of Mayor Katie Wilson’s transition team, one of five experts the new mayor selected to lead her multi-month process to launch the new administration.
Wilson has said she enters office “with a strong mandate” to pursue policies to attack the affordability crisis, address homelessness, “and build a city for working people” following a sweep of progressive victories in the election.
A successful start for the city’s new Social Housing Developer is an early and clear cut opportunity. CHS reported here as 2026 will bring the first revenue — and, hopefully, the first property inked — from the $50 million a year voter-approved levy starting in February.
The Seattle City Council ordinance will finalize the funding with a proposal for a five-year agreement with “automatic renewals for successive five-year terms.” The agreement will also lay out the schedule for the tax’s collection and distribution to the developer. The plan will also include “reimbursement for all loan balances (and interest thereon) extended by the City to the PDA.”
Under the proposal, the first “transfer of the tax proceeds” to the development authority will be made March 2nd.
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