County will support three Opportunity Zone applications, decline immediate county application

Staff briefed the board on Opportunity Zone 2.0 nomination rules and a Business Oregon handout, noting Yamhill County currently has five zones. The county discussed whether to submit an application for zone 41071030601 (area near Highway 18 adjacent to McMinnville) but staff cautioned the parcel is still EFU, lacks infrastructure, and is not shovel‑ready. Commissioners said that competing applications from cities and economic development organizations have stronger project readiness and that supporting those applications would likely increase the county's odds of securing at least two designations.

The board voted to provide support letters for three external applications rather than submit a county application now. Commissioners discussed a "rural bonus" in Opportunity Zone 2.0 (noted as 30% in the briefing vs. a 10% standard) and acknowledged that the governor's office ultimately ranks and forwards nominations to the U.S. Treasury. The motion to support the three applications passed unanimously; staff will prepare digital support letters through Business Oregon's application interface.