Burien council unanimously approves letter supporting Opportunity Zone 2 applications

Chris Craig briefed the Burien City Council on the Department of Commerce Opportunity Zone 2 program and asked the council to approve a letter of support for two Burien census-tract applications.

Craig said the program offers federal capital-gains tax deferral and other incentives to investors who place gains into Qualified Opportunity Zones, noting that “if it's held for 10 years all appreciation on the investment is permanently excluded from federal capital gains taxes.” He explained the state scoring categories — economic need, investment readiness, strategic alignment and community support — and said staff identified two tracts that scored highest under the Commerce criteria.

Deputy Mayor Hugo Garcia thanked staff for the work but warned that the Commerce scoring “feels like…a sort of downgrade” because it tends to reward areas already ready for investment rather than those with the greatest need. Craig acknowledged that tension, saying Commerce “really rewarded areas that were already ready for investment,” and urged the council to submit two nominations so the city would not leave any opportunities on the table.

Council Member Rocco DeVito moved to approve the letter of support; the motion was seconded and carried by a unanimous voice/hand-raise vote. The presenter told the council the application deadline is May 28 and that the city will seek supporting letters from developers and partner agencies to strengthen the application.

The council’s approval directs staff to submit the application materials and prepare supporting outreach. The decision does not guarantee an award; Craig cautioned that high-scoring jurisdictions such as Seattle will be strong competitors under the same criteria.

Next steps: staff will finalize the application and request partner letters in advance of the May 28 submission deadline.