Council gives staff consensus to nominate four Opportunity Zone tracts

City staff presented Fayetteville City Council with a map of eligible census tracts and three strategic approaches for using a limited set of Opportunity Zone nominations: a redevelopment-and-housing focus, a jobs-and-tax-base growth focus, or a balanced approach emphasizing both economic development and neighborhood revitalization.

"Just a reminder from Monday, there's 31 eligible tracts in Cumberland County, 25 are wholly or partially within Fayetteville," staff presenter Mr. Kiley told council as he walked through shaded maps and overlap analysis of prior zone boundaries and newly eligible tracts.

Staff explained there are only four county nominations available for the next 10-year designation period; the recommended selection leans toward east-of-river and downtown corridors where staff believe public investment and preexisting revitalization plans will attract private investors. Council members asked detailed questions about corridor depth, census-tract boundaries, where sports complexes or stadium projects intersect with eligible tracts, and whether unincorporated county tracts could supply the USDA/rural "kicker" advantage.

After discussion, Councilmember McNair, Councilmember Harris and others voiced support for staff's balanced recommendation; the Mayor pro tem moved that council give consensus to forward the four-plot recommendation so staff could prepare the nomination package for submission before the June 7 deadline. The motion carried.

Next steps: staff will finalize the four-tract package, confirm cross-jurisdictional alignment with Cumberland County and the state, and prepare the nomination materials for the governor's office and Commerce Department review. Council asked staff to return with any additional analysis that clarifies potential leverage for housing and the expected private-sector inducement in each tract.

The consensus is administrative direction, not a final legislative adoption; the governor retains formal discretion to approve county submissions.