Preparing Your Community’s Opportunity Zone Nomination: What to Do Now 

April 28 — Ahead of the state’s July 1 nomination window, local leaders can take practical steps now to identify eligible census tracts and build a strong, principles-aligned case for designation.

North Carolina is gearing up for the next round of federal Opportunity Zones (OZ) designations—an incentive designed to encourage long-term private investment in low-income communities. Preliminary data suggests North Carolina may be able to nominate 202 census tracts for federal designation—20 fewer than the current OZ program.

Under Opportunity Zones 2.0, governors will nominate up to 25% of eligible low-income census tracts starting July 1, 2026, with new zones taking effect January 1, 2027 for a 10-year cycle. The N.C. Department of Commerce is leading the state’s nomination process and will incorporate public input.

This topic was a featured discussion at the April Regional Managers Meeting, where Emily Pandich (Director of Policy and Strategic Planning) and Jeff DeBellis (Director of Economic & Policy Analysis) walked through key program changes, milestones, and how communities can prepare for the NC Commerce-led process.

Here’s how your community can prepare:

1. Confirm eligible tracts in your county. Start with Commerce’s planning map of census tracts eligible for nomination and identify candidate tracts in your community (and the surrounding market area that supports them).
2. Align eligible tracts to the state’s guiding principles. As you narrow options, pressure-test each tract against the state’s priorities: job creation & industry development, local revitalization areas, and housing supply (including proximity to jobs/transit and planned infrastructure that supports housing). As part of the nomination process, you’ll be asked to discuss how each tract meets the guiding principles.
3. Bring local plans and investments to the table. Strong nominations are grounded in what’s already underway—adopted plans, priority redevelopment areas, committed infrastructure projects, major employment sites, and/or sites with locally controlled land where development can realistically move. Be ready to showcase the details of what’s planned.
4. Coordinate early with partners. Convene local government, economic development, housing, planning, major employers, anchor institutions, and community organizations to agree on priorities and avoid duplicative or competing submissions.
5. Prepare your submission for the public feedback form. Commerce will use an online public feedback form (open for a limited window) to collect nominations of eligible tracts. Draft your tract narrative now—why it matters locally and how it meets the guiding principles—so you can submit quickly once the form opens.
6. Think countywide—know your likely allotment. Preliminary data suggests North Carolina may nominate 202 tracts statewide. The 93 counties with at least one eligible tract can nominate at least one census tract; the remaining 109 tracts will be distributed across the 85 counties with at least two eligible tracts based on county population. Plan early for how your county will prioritize nominations.

Key dates at a glance

• Now: Review the planning map; gather local data, plans, and partner input.
• Public input period: Commerce anticipates an online feedback window (approximately 30 days).
• July 1, 2026: Governor nomination window opens (about 90 days; Treasury may extend).
• January 1, 2027: New Opportunity Zones take effect for 10 years.

Next step: Visit the Opportunity Zones in North Carolina page on the Commerce website to explore the planning map and watch for updates on the public input form and nomination guidance.