Halifax to nominate three census tracts for federal Opportunity Zone consideration

The Halifax County Board of Commissioners moved to submit three census tracts for nomination to North Carolina’s Opportunity Zone process under the updated federal program. Economic Development Director Kathy Scott said the county’s recommended tracts include industrial assets, select and certified sites, interstate access and available parcels that match the state’s guidance for job creation and housing near employment centers.

Scott identified the three tracts that the county will propose (internal identifiers used in the county analysis): one containing the US‑301 select site and Halifax Corporate Park, one covering Weldon and the eastern I‑95 corridor, and one including Enfield, the Campgrounds of America site and Exit 154 area with industrial employers. She asked for concurrence and a letter from the county to the governor’s office to begin the state’s 30‑day public comment period; commissioners approved the motion by voice vote.

Board action: A motion to propose the three tracts passed and the county manager and economic development office will submit the formal letter and supporting materials to the governor’s office so the state can include the nominations in its selection process.

Quote (meeting transcript): “We need, I would appreciate your concurrence of these census tracts, and I would appreciate a letter from the county to the state outlining our selection, so that we're on record,” Kathy Scott said.

Why it matters: Opportunity Zone nomination is a federal/state tool intended to attract private capital to qualifying low‑income tracts; the county is prioritizing tracts with sites and infrastructure likely to attract industrial or mixed‑use investment.