Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton is calling on a new federal
initiative designed to spur economic development to coordinate with Milwaukee’s
Promise Zone efforts.
This week, the State of Wisconsin unveiled 120 Economic Opportunity Zones in
Wisconsin, 34 of which are located in the City of Milwaukee.
President Hamilton says the Milwaukee Promise Zone Initiative provides a
needed framework to efficiently coordinate and align the State’s efforts as it
geographically aligns with the same areas. “It is the only sustainable approach as we
have support systems through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and
organized Milwaukee Promise Zone (MPZ) partners already in place to greatly
magnify the impact for Milwaukee.”
Meantime, the Milwaukee Democratic Legislative Caucus is highlighting
investment opportunities in the City. In a letter earlier this month to Gov. Walker, the
lawmakers called Opportunity Zones a “useful tool in capital gains deferral, particularly
for individuals, funds, and companies considering investments in low-income
communities.”
In early 2017, the Milwaukee Promise Zone Initiative was rolled out by President
Hamilton and other Council members as a multi-pronged approach to spur positive
change in four designated Promise Zones. Community partners, city agencies and
Common Council representatives focus on improving economic activity, creating jobs,
increasing educational opportunities, and enhancing healthy neighborhoods through a
place based strategy. The Economic Opportunity Zones were created in the federal Tax
Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.