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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This is an utter waste of taxpayer dollars, even for Seattle. I wonder how many voters were aware that the plan is to buy existing properties, not build new ones? I wonder how many voters were aware that the existing housing providers, to an org, were against this duplicate bureaucracy?
Now, you have Mccoy, who has proven nothing except an ability to sell well meaning but misguided Seattle voters on a new tax, is in charge of the org as it is set to receive its first 50 million. The mind boggles.
And let’s also highlight that Mccoy is patently self dealing here along with our new mayor. What qualifies Mcoy as an “expert” on building housing? A (taxpayer) funded junket to Europe a few years ago? She is a lobbyist — and now she’s on the transition team and the CEO of the Social Housing division? Patronage is fine, I guess, but this is the sort of tit for tat deals that Harrell was (rightly) critiqued for.
Meet the new mayor, same as the old mayor. Story as old as Seattle.
While preserving existing units of affordable housing and keeping them affordable is undoubtedly a good thing, it does seem to differ from what voters were sold when they approved this tax. The city needs to clarify what its intentions are with this tax, and if they differ from what voters were sold, it needs to put back before the people for another vote with the correct intentions clearly stated.
The city needs to clarify what its intentions are with this tax,…
“taxpayer funding to power the new development authority to borrow enough to build or acquire 2,000 units of affordable housing over 10 years.”
They DID…you are just like the first commenter.
This is what I voted for, not sure what y’all are talking about. I would rather the city start providing and maintaining affordable living options as soon as possible–to start putting a dent in our home affordability/homelessness dual crises–as opposed to just seeing the department start a new construction project. There are plenty of existing buildings that are being poorly run by greedy slumlords that would be much better run through a publicly funded housing agency. The profit motive is exactly what’s driving up the cost of housing in Seattle. The mind boggles as to why we haven’t been doing this already to be honest. SO many other developed countries have robust social housing agencies, it’s about time we catch up.
Competing against the the dominant private rental market to ensure affordable housing is available is just as much of a problem to be tackled as the lack of current available units for the speculated future growth of Seattle. Both help with affordability, but one gets people in housing now vs. just the promise of that via seeing more cranes in the sky. I’m in favor of building too of course, but just not exclusively. We need to better utilize the existing city fabric and simply make it more affordable.
TIffany certainly is having a conniption over this. I see no reason to be so melodramatic and cynical, it’s exactly what the city should be doing right now and yet Tiffany has nothing but doubt. Sounds like a hater!
The quotes in this article just ad to my points. Mccoy admits she “doesn’t know a thing” about building housing, but rather than hire a CEO who does, she’s going to hire another “c suite member” to guide her. So more taxpayer money to a patronage job.
She says she “hopes” to have a property ready to buy in 6 months but “isn’t going to overpromise”. She later goes on to say she’s “going to build up this org, as we are ready to start taking a lot of money”.
I found myself trying not to laugh at several points when she was quoted. This is one of the most Seattle political moments of all time. It is the dog catching the car
https://www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/16/seattle-social-housing-board-fires-ceo-taps-mccoy-as-interim-leader/
Hi, where did she “admit” this? You lied to have to make a point. lol
“Mccoy admits she “doesn’t know a thing” about building housing”
NOWHERE is that said. What’s wrong with you people?
It’s all made up. Your entire comment is made up.
MAGAified brains on full tilt. No taxes except for tax cuts and cops. No road maintenances nothing. For the last 50 years we have had austerity. Now we have poverty worse than anytime in history. Our infrastructure is crumbling as a result.
I find myself not laughing at dangerous people like you who falsify statements others have made as compulsory. Your comment proves it.
You said…
“I wonder how many voters were aware that the plan is to buy existing properties, not build new ones?”
The facts said…
“taxpayer funding to power the new development authority to borrow enough to build or acquire 2,000 units of affordable housing over 10 years.”
You are full of shit. Made it up.
Your anger is because you do not want to pay taxes for housing or taxes period. Unless it’s more cops right?
This was on the ballot prior to Katie being mayor.