By Andy Medici | Phoenix Business Journal
The federal Opportunity Zone program is undergoing a major transition in 2026, leaving businesses only a few more months to prepare for what’s ahead.
The Opportunity Zone program, introduced during President Trump’s first term as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, by definition aims to “spur economic growth and job creation in low-income communities while providing tax benefits to investors. That program is set to sunset at the end of 2026.
“With significantly tighter eligibility rules and a reduced pool of qualifying tracts, the designation process will be more competitive and political, making early planning and advocacy essential. In a highly competitive designation window, the investors who begin now will be far better positioned to secure designations than those who wait for the process to formally begin,” says George Finn, Rose Law Group partner and senior real estate attorney.
“The tradeoff is a permanent, more disciplined program that rewards thoughtful, long-term investment strategies and sustained engagement, rather than the first-come, first-served dynamics that characterized much of the program’s initial rollout.”
