You wouldn’t know it by the last four months, but major news stories are always prone to ebbs and flows. The federal Opportunity Zone program is a case in point when it comes to commercial real estate publications. The investment vehicle has been all the rage at various points since it was created in late 2017, only to take a step back as buzz died down.
Post-Tax Reform Update: Real Estate Income Tax
The sweeping tax reform brought on by The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is now in effect, but many Real Estate owners and investors remain in the dark on how these changes will impact their businesses. With that, Sax’s Real Estate advisors will hold an educational webinar on March 19 to run through the major changes facing the Real Estate industry overall now that tax reform has been implemented, and proposed guidance has been released.
Developers, state officials face dual task with Opportunity Zone projects
Amid the rollout of the new federal Opportunity Zone program, developers and public officials are trying to balance two key objectives: Identifying shovel-ready projects — allowing investors to maximize the tax benefits of the law — and steering capital to low-income areas that weren’t already attracting investment and may have higher barriers to entry. The state believes it can check both boxes with the right coordination and by layering in the subsidies that have helped revitalize many of New Jersey’s cities and downtowns.
A white knight for Whitehouse Station
For all the buzz around walkable, urban submarkets and higher-density workplaces, our readers have never lost interest in the fate of the Merck property in Whitehouse Station. I was reminded of that on Jan. 3, when a story about a potential buyer for the complex quickly became the most-read item we’ve ever had on RE-NJ.com.