Opportunity Zones | Articles and Background Materials

Access recent Opportunity Zones articles curated by NCSHA staff. 

Opportunity Zone Directory

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1. Finding Opportunity in Opportunity Zones (May 2021) 
2. Can Place-Based Investments Like New Markets and Opportunity Zones Help Low-Income Neighborhoods and Residents? (April 2021)
3. Opportunity Zones have had minor impact on labor markets so far (March 2021)
4. Little evidence of increased demand for property in Opportunity Zones so far (March 2021)
5. Economic Innovation Group Report | Opportunity Zones: State of the Marketplace (February 2021) 
6. A Trump Tax Break Kicked Off a Race to Redraw U.S. Census Maps (February 2021)
7. Member Of Departed HUD Leadership Calls For 10% More Opportunity Zones (February 2021) 
8. Opportunity Zone Players Say Biden Can Fix Program’s Perception Problem (January 2021) 
9. OZs Could Be The Place-Based Solution We Need To Tackle USDA Food Deserts (January 2021) 
10. How to Make Communities Part of the Opportunity Zone Equation (December 2020) 
11. Developer Aims to Raise $1 Billion for Investing in Minority Communities (December 2020)
12. Despite Challenges, Opportunity Zones Provide Much-Needed Capital (November 2020)
13. How Biden Might Alter Tax Rules, From Nonprofits to Opportunity Zones (September 2020)
14. Trump is touting Opportunity Zones as a huge success with no proof (September 2020) 
15. Republican Or Democrat, The Opportunity Zone Program Will Likely Change Next Administration (August 2020)
16. What State and Local Governments Can do to Support Federal Opportunity Zones Investments (July 2020)
17. Housing in Opportunity Zones (July 2020) 
18. What State and Local Governments Can do to Support Federal Opportunity Zones Investments (July 2020)
19. Investors Reexamine ‘Opportunity Zones’ in Light of Pandemic, Protests (June 2020) 
20. Pandemic Stalls New Money For ‘Opportunity Zones’ As Neighborhoods Try To Recover (June 2020)
21. State of the Opportunity Zones Marketplace: The Impact of COVID-19 (June 20200)
22. The Biggest Problem With Opportunity Zones (June 2020)
23. Presidential Election May Turn Spotlight Back to Opportunity Zones (June 2020)
24. The Tax Incentive Key to the Nation’s Recovery (June 2020) 
25. Why Opportunity Zones Are Failing (June 2020) 
26. Pandemic-Related Economic Struggles Could Ultimately Increase Investment in Opportunity Zones (June 2020) 
27. Opportunity Zones Incentive Sees Early Success, Investment Accelerating (April 2020)
28. Opportunity Zones Market Trends And Covid-19 (April 2020)
29. There Is Still Opportunity In Opportunity Zones (December 2019)
30. Navigating the Opportunity Zones (July 2019)
31. Creating Opportunity for All (July 2019)
32. What Investors Need to Know About the “Three Waves” of Opportunity Zones – Forbes (June 2019)
33. Opportunity Zones: The Dire Risks for Investors and the Communities – Forbes (June 2019)
34. The Trump Administration Said these Tax Breaks would Help Distressed Neighborhoods. Who’s Actually Benefiting? – The Washington Post (June 2019)
35. Trump Administration Offer New Flexibility in Opportunity Zones – The Wall Street Journal (April 2019) 
36. Banks Explore Ways to Capitalize on Tax Law’s ‘Opportunity Zones’ – American Banker (March 2019)
37. Opportunity Zones Expose Conflict Between Growth Advocates and Neighborhood Leaders – Bisnow (March 2019) 
38. U.S. Opportunity Zones Incredible Tax Savings for Entrepreneurs – Forbes (March 2019)
39. Tribes Shut Out of Opportunity Zone Deals – Oklahoma Watch (March 2019) 
40. Opportunity Zones: The Antidote To Los Angeles’ Housing Crisis – Forbes (March 2019)
41. Opportunity Zones Invite Corruption – Cato Institute (March 2019)
42. Tax-Advantaged Investing Spurs Growth Funding Opportunities For Entrepreneurs – Forbes (March 2019)
43. Investors Eagerly Await Trump Rules on Opportunity Zones – The New York Times (March 2019)
44. New Opportunity Zone Tool Shows Which Zones Have Best Investment Demographics – Bisnow (March 2019)
45. Ben Carson says HUD will give Preference to Developers who Build Affordable Housing in Opportunity Zones – The Real Deal (March 2019)
46. Where are All the Opportunity Zone Deals? – Forbes (March 2019)
47. 3 Big Takeaways from the Standing-Room-Only Hearing on Opportunity Zones – Forbes (February 2019)
48. Pence Promotes ‘Opportunity Zones’ as Trump Faces Criticism over Race and Policies to Aid the Poor – Washington Post (February 2019)
49. Wall Street, Seeking Big Tax Breaks, Sets Sights on Distressed Main Streets – The  New York Times (February 2019)
50. Investors Unearth Worrying Concerns in Opportunity Zone Tax Treatment – Financial Advisor (February 2019)
51. Significant Interest, Variety of Issues Raised During IRS OZ Hearing – Novogradac (February 2019)
52. Opportunity Zone Experts Voice Concerns Over Program’s Rules, Suggest Fixes In IRS Hearing – Bisnow (February 2019)
53. Impact of Opportunity Zones on Affordable Housing Not Yet Clear – Urban Land (February 2019)
54. Will ‘Opportunity Zones’ Help the Rich, the Poor or Both? – Washington Post (February 2019)
55. Packed ‘Opportunity Zone’ Hearing Centers on Need for Flexibility – Bloomberg (February 2019)
56. Opportunity Zones: Monetary Musical Chairs, Anyone? – JDSUPRA (February 2019)
57. Opportunity Zones Hold Untapped Potential for Driving Senior Housing Development, Investment – Senior Housing News (January 2019)
58. The Big Opportunity in Qualified Opportunity Zones – Cash Chronicles (January 2019)
59. Carson to Lead Newly Created Council on Opportunity Zones – Apartment Housing Finance (December 2018)
60. Opportunity Zones, Marijuana-Related Properties and Retail Assets Among Best CRE Vets for HNW Investors in 2019 – National Real Estate Investor (December 2018) 
61. Can Average Investors Take Advantage of a New Real Estate Development Tax Break – CNN Business (December 2018)
62. The Significance of Investing in Opportunity Zones – Forbes (December 2018)
63. Opportunity Zones May Benefit Rising Neighborhoods First – Bisnow (November 2018)
64. How Popular will Opportunity Zones Be? – Globe St. (November 2018) 
65. ‘Opportunity Fund’ Managers Favor Urban Areas, Commercial Real Estate – MarketWatch (November 2018)
66. Rich Investors Eye Tax-Favored Development Funds – Wall Street Journal (November 2018)
67. Heard the Buzz about Opportunity Zones Funds? Here’s the Skinny – CNBC (November 2018)
68. Bringing Investment to Poor Places – The Economists (November 2018)
69. Don’t Rob ‘Opportunity Zones’  of Their Full Potential – The Hill (November 2018)
70. A Big Tax Break for Socially Responsible Investing- The New York Times (November 2018) 
71. How to Generate Tax Savings by Making Impact Investments in Opportunity Zones – Forbes (October 2018)
72. We Asked CRE Pros What Their Biggest Opportunity Zones Questions Were. Here are Some Expert Answers – Bisnow (October 2018)
73. How Foundations are Shaping ‘Biggest Experiment’ of Opportunity Funds – Barrons (October 2018)
74. Much-Awaited Guidelines Opening the Opportunity Zone Floodgates – Next City (October 2018)
75. Tax Geek Tuesday: Reaping the Benefits of Investing in an Opportunity Zone- Forbes (October 2018)
76. Making the Most of Qualified Opportunity Zones – Accounting Today (October 2018)
77. Trump’s New Opportunity Zones Look Great for Investors – The American Prospect (October 2018)
78. Proposed Regulations Provide Some Clarity for Opportunity Zone Tax Incentive – JDSUPRA (October 2018)
79. With (Some) Rules in Hand, Fund Prep for Opportunity Zone Investments – Forbes (October 2018)
80. CohnReznick Opportunity Zones Alert: Guidance has Arrived! – CohnReznick (October 2018)
81. Investors Lining Up to Pour Billions into Opportunity Zones – Bisnow (October 2018)
82. A Comprehensive Guide to the Opportunity Zones’ Proposed Rules – Globe St. (October 2018)
83. Opportunity Zone Investments for Family Offices: Where are the ‘Good’ Deals? – Forbes (October 2018)
84. Opportunity Knocks – Politico (October 2018)
85. How Alabama Plans to Take Advantage of Opportunity Zones – Next City (October 2018)
86. Sales of Sites in Opportunity Zones Up 80% – The Real Deal (October 2018)
87. IRS Proposes Generous Rules for Opportunity Zones Investors, But What Will They Mean for Communities? – Forbes (October 2018) 
88. Developers Looks to Hit Tax-Break ‘Jackpot’ in Opportunity Zones – The Wall Street Journal (October 2018)
89. Opportunity is Coming to a City Near You – The Wall Street Journal (October 2018)
90. Opportunity Zones Expected to Unleash a Wave of Private Capital Investment in Localities – Bond Buyer (October 2018)
91. Taking Advantage of Opportunity Zone Investments for Tax Breaks Requires High Risk Tolerance – Investment News (October 2018)
92. Trump Administration Unveils New Rules for Opportunity Zones – Housing Wire (October 2018) 
93. Trump’s ‘Opportunity Zones’ are Popular with Investors, but They Might Offer Less Benefit to Voters – CNBC  (October 2018)
94. New ‘Opportunity Zone’ Tax-Break Rules Offer Flexibility to Developers – The Wall Street Journal (October 2018)
95. CRE Investors Should Act Now to Seize the Opportunity in Opportunity Funds – National Real Estate Investor (October 2018)
96. Treasury Outlines Tax Breaks for Investing in Distressed Areas – New York Times (October 2018)
97. An Increasing Number of New Real Estate Funds Target Opportunity Zones – National Real Estate Investor (October 2018)
98. Who’s knocking? Investors Rush to Set Up Opportunity Zone Funds Ahead of Deadline – The Real Deal (October 2018)
99. A Window of Opportunity: OZs are Ripe for Real Estate Investing – Forbes (October 2018)
100. Opportunity Zones: Vital Community Development Tool or Tax Windfall for the Rich – Curbed (October 2018)
101. Early Adopters Move Ahead with Opportunity Zones Funds – Novogradac (October 2018)
102. Here’s the Skinny on Opportunity Zones – Housing Wire (September 2018)
103. Opportunity Zones: An Opportunity to Apply Lessons Learned from the New Market Tax Credit Program – Novogradac (September 2018)
104. Hedge Fund EJF Raising $500 Million for Tax-Advantaged ‘Opportunity Zones’ – Bloomberg (September 2018)
105. Opportunity Zones: How Communities Can Leverage This New Provision to Jumpstart Investment – JDSUPRA  (September 2018)
106. Six Ways to Attract Capital and Shape the Future of Opportunity Zone Investing – ImpactAlpha  (September 2018)
107. Opportunity Zones: Building the Plane While Flying It – Novogradac (September 2018)
108. Opportunity Zones: An Updated Overview and What’s Ahead – Enterprise Community Partners (September 2018)
109. Why Impact Data and Transparency are Keys to the Success of Opportunity Zones – ImpactAlpha (September 2018)
110. For Goldman, a New Tax Break Makes Helping the Poor More Lucrative – Bloomberg (August 2018)
111. Opportunity Zones State of States Report – Council of Development Finance Agencies (August 2018)
112. Will This New Investor Tax-Incentive Policy Avoid Mistakes of the Past? – Next City (August 2018)
113. Opportunity Zones and Tax Credits – Affordable Housing Finance (August 2018)
114. Moving Onward with the Opportunity Zone Program – Bloomberg (July 2018)
115. An Unlikely Group of Billionaires and Politicians has Created the Most Unbelievable Tax Break Ever – Forbes (July 2018)
116. How States Can Maximize Opportunity Zones – The Governance Project (June 2018)
117. Will the New Opportunity Zones Work as Intended – Bisnow (May 2018)
118. The Governance Project- Guiding Principles for Opportunity Zones – The Governance Project (March 2018)
119. 2017 Legislation Creates New Tool for Community Development – Novogradac (February 2018)
120. Opportunity Zones Program: An Early Overview – Enterprise Community Partners (January 2018)