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Department of Housing and Community Development

Maryland Opportunity Zone Information Exchange Wins National StateScoop50 Award

Maryland Opportunity Zone Information Exchange Wins National StateScoop50 Award

Project is recognized as State IT Innovation of the Year

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (May 7, 2019) – The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Maryland Opportunity Zone Information Exchange was recently recognized as the State IT Innovation of the Year at the StateScoop 50 awards, beating out more than 40 other nominees from across the country.

The annual StateScoop 50 Awards honor the best and the brightest who make state government more efficient and effective. The awards, which were presented on May 5 at a reception in National Harbor, Md., honor state government information technology and cybersecurity executives, industry influencers, up-and-comers and innovative projects.

The first comprehensive resource of its kind in the nation, the Maryland Opportunity Zone Information Exchange is an interactive, geographic information system website featuring projects and businesses in the 149 Opportunity Zones throughout Maryland and serves as the State of Maryland’s core tool to facilitate Opportunity Zone investment. The exchange is open to the public and provides the latest information on Opportunity Zone activity for investors, fund managers, property developers, new or expanding businesses and local stakeholders, including, most importantly, a comprehensive list of the state and local incentives available in specific Opportunity Zones.

Since its launch, the Maryland Opportunity Zone Information Exchange has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from users, and the Exchange has been presented at several national conferences. Additionally, the Maryland Opportunity Zone Leadership Task Force, chaired by Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, has held regional summits across the state to present the Exchange to local stakeholders. Currently, the Information Exchange lists 96 projects totaling $12 billion of capital investments, comprising 29,000 housing units and 45 million square feet of commercial development throughout Maryland’s 149 Opportunity Zones.

For more information about Opportunity Zones and to visit the Maryland Opportunity Zone Information Exchange, visit http://dhcd.maryland.gov/OpportunityZones.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Owen McEvoy, Director of the Office of Public Information, owen.mcevoy@maryland.gov, 443-679-7653

Sara Luell, Director of Communications, sara.luell@maryland.gov, 301-429-7803