Since tax reform in 2017, developers, economic development professionals, city planners & more have begun to ask: what is the opportunity in Opportunity Zones? How can my community benefit? What are the potential unintended consequences? There are many unanswered questions in this rapidly-evolving space, but one thing is clear: the communities that come up to speed quickly will be best positioned to respond.

This regional gathering is intended to help us accelerate our learning together. Participants will learn:

What is an Opportunity Zone? An Opportunity Fund? Are there any designated zones in my community?
How are other communities responding in this rapidly-evolving marketplace?
How could my community benefit from this new tax incentive? What are some of the tradeoffs and unintended consequences?
Will Opportunity Zones even "take" in rural communities as they might in more urban contexts?

Registration at 10:30am, and event begins at 11:00am. Lunch included. All ticket proceeds will be donated to Viva Downtown, the national main street organization in Redding. Want to get a jumpstart on Opportunity Zones 101? Check out the resources at https://opzones.ca.gov/.

Why this gathering?: The McConnell Foundation joins with community partners to support education & awareness about the Downtown Redding Opportunity Zone--the zone that is most relevant to their Community Vitality program--as well as awareness-raising about Opportunity Zones across the 5 counties the Foundation serves: Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity, Tehama & Modoc.

Opportunity Zones 101: A Primer for the North State