Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell was excited about the prospects that Opportunity Zones could bring to the residents she represents in District 4. The zones, created under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, offer tax incentives for investments in economically distressed communities.
Campbell’s hopes were recently dismayed after Mayor Marty Wash’s administration announced the 13-census tracts the Opportunity Zones would be contained to.
The tracts the Walsh administration chose include the Boston Harbor Islands, Franklin Park and four cemeteries. In essence, the designated Opportunity Zones will not be providing the economic boosts to Campbell’s constituents in Dorchester, Mattapan, Jamaica Plain and Roslindale that she had hoped for.
“To my shock, my district — pieces were designated, but it was cemeteries or places that did not offer a place to actually invest. There was only one little census tract that already had investors,” Campbell said on Boston Public Radio Tuesday.
“That disappointed me tremendously, because the next time you can even designate [Opportunity Zones] is in 10 years. That’s a long time from now,” she continued.
Walsh officials have noted that they were apprehensive about nominating some areas because they feared investments could lead to gentrification.
Campbell said that while she understands the administration's reasoning for their caution and hesitancy, she believes that they could have addressed their concerns rather than avoiding areas where investments could lead to gentrification.
“You listen to those concerns, you grapple with those concerns, like we do with anythings else," Campbell said. "If you are bringing in an Amazon, if you are bringing in a GE, or a developer, you still have those same concerns that we address to still benefit our community ... You can’t tell me these were your legitimate concerns, which I hear, but at the same time other areas were designated. So folks in my community are asking why those areas and not mine."
Campbell suggested that limiting investments to just residents from her district would lower the chances of gentrification and investors would be more inclined to work to benefit the community rather than just their wallet.
“When I look at Mattapan and Dorchester, my biggest neighborhoods, and I look at the vacant city lots and what those spaces could be activated into, or I look at all the demands my constituents have, the thing that is usually missing is the money to do it," Campbell said. "This was an opportunity to say, 'We are going to bring in private dollars as well as city dollars.'"
Campbell said she is considering advocating to change the federal law so there does not need to be a 10-year gap until the next round of Opportunity Zone nominations. In the meantime, Campbell said she will continue to look for alternative ways to benefit her district.
“I’m always looking for opportunities to invest in the plans and visions of my residents," Campbell said. "That’s my job, and when those opportunities are taken away from me, I just get a little frustrated."
