EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN — On October 4, 2019 Scott Harrington AICP, V&A Principal/Redevelopment donned one of his many hats to lead a presentation on Opportunity Zone optimization at the APA Upper Midwest Conference in Eau Claire. Opportunity Zones are relatively new tools for economic development that can help attract transformational investment into low-income census tracts where it is needed most. (Click here for more Opportunity Zone information on our OZ page.) For the presentation, Scott organized a panel consisting of Gordon Crow, the Executive Director of Centergy, a nonprofit regional marketing and economic development organization covering five counties in central Wisconsin, and Dannielle Lewis, Senior Manager of WIPFLI, CPAs and consultants. Gordon provided insight into his and Scott’s efforts to develop a joint Opportunity Zone marketing initiative among the seven communities in the Centergy region with zones, and Dannielle discussed her work with developers and investors in setting up Opportunity Funds.
Scott (pictured above in custom Tin Man hat) presented a memorable overview of how Opportunity Zones work, types of potential investments, and the benefits the program offers to investors. Scott also conducted an interactive polling questionnaire aimed at learning more about how the Zones in the Upper Midwest were selected and how communities are planning to use and support their Opportunity Zones.
Additional Opportunity Zone resources:
- Novogradic Opportunity Zone Resource Center
- Economic Innovation Group Opportunity Zones Resource Page
- Opportunity360 Measurement Report
- U.S. Internal Revenue Service Opportunity Zone FAQ
- Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority Opportunity Zones Page
- Federal List of Designated Opportunity Zones
