A new AI tool built specifically for Opportunity Zones is here — and it may change how investors, fund managers, and advisors navigate the transition from OZ 1.0 to OZ 2.0. In this month’s episode of OZ NewsHour, Jimmy Atkinson and Andy Hagans unveil OzBot, a purpose-built chatbot trained on the actual statute, regulations, and proprietary analysis behind the program — and they put it to the test live.
The episode also features a major overhaul of OpportunityZones.com’s state and city pages, fresh data on OZ-driven housing supply, momentum building ahead of OZ Pitch Day, upcoming OZ Insiders events, and a surprise “Great American County Quiz Game” that puts Jimmy’s geography skills on the hot seat.
Opportunity Zone News & Events
- Opportunity Zones by State
- Opportunity Zones by City
- OZ Insiders Upcoming Events
- OZ Pitch Day -- March 12, 2026
- Capital Square Completes 352-Unit Richmond Project (Multi-Housing News)
- The Impact of Opportunity Zones on Housing Supply (EIG)
About OZ NewsHour
OZ NewsHour covers the key stories happening right now in the world of Opportunity Zones. Hosts Andy Hagans and Jimmy Atkinson discuss the powerful trends that investors, fund managers, real estate developers, and industry professionals need to know. If it's a must-know development in the Opportunity Zone world, we cover it here.
Listen Now
Episode Summary
In this episode of OZ NewsHour, Andy Hagans and Jimmy Atkinson unveil a powerful new AI tool built specifically for the Opportunity Zones community, walk through major upgrades to OpportunityZones.com, preview upcoming OZ Insiders events and OZ Pitch Day, and wrap up with a spirited round of “The Great American County Quiz Game.”
Introducing OzBot: A Purpose-Built AI for Opportunity Zones
The headline feature of this month’s show is the live demo of OzBot, a new AI chatbot developed specifically for Opportunity Zones.
Andy explains the motivation behind building OzBot: while general AI tools like ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, and Gemini can answer basic OZ 1.0 questions, they have been “wildly inaccurate” on OZ 2.0 and recent legislative updates. Many tools provide answers that “sound authoritative, but then it’s completely wrong.”
Jimmy explains that OzBot is different because:
- It does not have unfettered access to the entire internet.
- It operates from a closed, proprietary knowledge base.
- That knowledge base includes:
- The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
- The One Big Beautiful Bill Act
- Treasury regulations
- Proprietary canonical Q&A and commentary from OpportunityZones.com
The team has been testing OzBot inside the private OZ Insiders Slack workspace for about a month.
Jimmy demonstrates the tool live:
Question 1: “What is an Opportunity Zone?”
OzBot responds with a definition referencing Internal Revenue Code Section 1400Z-1 and related provisions.
Question 2 (from Jeff):
If someone has owned a parcel for 20+ years and subdivides it, can they invest qualified capital gains into improving the new parcel and benefit from OZ?
OzBot answers no, explaining:
- Property must satisfy original use or substantial improvement.
- Subdividing does not reset original use.
- It cites IRC 1400Z-2(d)(2)(D) and Treasury Regulation 1.1400Z2(d)-2(b).
- It explains that property must be acquired by purchase to qualify.
- It references related party limitations.
Jimmy adds further clarification, noting that contributing property into a QOF triggers related party rules and ownership limitations (generally no more than 20 percent).
Question 3: “When does OZ 2.0 go into effect?”
OzBot explains:
- The legislation was signed into law on July 4, 2025.
- The reduced 50 percent substantial improvement threshold for rural projects became effective July 4, 2025.
- Mandatory reporting requirements begin with tax year 2026.
- The new framework applies to eligible gains invested beginning January 1, 2027.
- December 31, 2026 is the key dividing line for investors.
OzBot is currently in beta and available only to OZ Insiders members. The plan is to roll it out more widely in the future.
Major Overhaul of State and City Pages
Jimmy then walks viewers through a major refresh of the state and city directory pages on OpportunityZones.com.
These pages now include:
- Current OZ 1.0 tract counts by state
- Projected OZ 2.0 tract counts
- Rural tract counts
- State-level explainer content
- High-level maps (orange = rural, blue = urban)
- Lists of designated tracts
- Lists of eligible tracts for OZ 2.0 nomination
- Alphabetical organization by county
- Links to official state government resources
For example:
- Texas currently has 628 OZ tracts and is projected to have 605 under OZ 2.0.
- 288 of Texas’s current tracts are rural.
- Washington State has launched a new OZ 2.0 portal with nomination applications, scoring criteria, and a February 27 feedback deadline.
City-level pages (e.g., Fort Worth) now include:
- Official city resources
- Census tract lists
- Designation data
Jimmy notes that Fort Worth has only six Opportunity Zones despite being one of the most populous cities in the country.
Andy also mentions that the team has deleted county-level pages, consolidating county data into state and city pages.
OZ Insiders Dinner in New York City
Jimmy announces the first of four 2026 OZ Insiders dinners:
- Date: Thursday, April 9
- Location: The Parlour Room, Midtown Manhattan
- Capacity: 30 attendees
- Nearly 20 already RSVP’d
- Available exclusively to OZ Insiders members
Additional 2026 dinners are planned for:
- Los Angeles (June or July)
- Dallas–Fort Worth (early fall)
- Washington, DC (night before the Novogradac Opportunity Zone Summit in late October)
Jimmy and Andy emphasize the strong networking and member engagement at prior dinners.
Upcoming OZ Insiders Masterclass
The next OZ Insiders Zoom meeting is:
- Date: Monday, March 9
- Time: 2:30 PM Eastern
Featured master class speaker:
- Jonathan McGuire, CPA at Aldrich Advisors
- Topic: Substantial improvement and original use
Jimmy describes the monthly format:
- Community networking
- Group coaching
- Expert-led Masterclass
Andy notes strong engagement and participation in recent sessions.
OZ Pitch Day – March 12, 2026
The next OZ Pitch Day is:
- Date: Thursday, March 12
- Free to attend (registration required)
- Over 400 registrants already
- On pace for nearly 1,000
Jimmy outlines the developing agenda:
- Opening keynote: “Opportunity Zone Investing Explained”
- OZ 2.0 preview for 2027
- Matt Iak (US Energy Development Corporation – oil & gas OZ strategy)
- YourSpace America (self-storage OZ projects)
- Panel: “OZ 1 vs OZ 2 – Should You Invest Now or Wait?”
- R3 Strategies (rural OZ pipeline in Oregon)
- Ask the OZ Experts segment
- Additional sponsor presentations
Jimmy invites potential presenters to email [email protected].
Andy says his favorite part is the deal flow, noting that Opportunity Zones function as a “wrapper” around many investment strategies.
Maritime Action Plan Question
Alan Tanner asks about President Trump’s Maritime Action Plan and its interaction with Opportunity Zones.
Jimmy says:
- He saw recent news on the plan.
- It designates maritime zones with similar tax incentives.
- It will not be exactly Opportunity Zones but structured similarly.
- The team will cover it in detail in a future episode.
Pick of the Month
Jimmy shares two picks:
- Capital Square
- Completed its seventh Opportunity Zone fund project.
- 352-unit project in the Scott’s Addition neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia.
- Recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
- Economic Innovation Group (EIG)
- Updated report on OZ impact on housing supply.
- Finds an estimated 416,000 additional residential addresses through Q1 2025 attributable to OZ designation.
- Full report is 68 pages.
The Great American County Quiz Game
Andy surprises Jimmy with a three-round geography quiz.
Highlights:
- Louisiana uses parishes.
- San Francisco is in San Francisco County.
- Walt Disney World is in Orange County, Florida.
- Brooklyn is in Kings County.
- Largest county by land area: San Bernardino County, California.
- Approximately 3,000 counties in the U.S.
- Alaska uses boroughs.
- Smallest population county: Loving County, Texas.
- Real county name: Bacon County, Georgia.
- Los Angeles County population: about 10 million.
Jimmy finishes with 110 points after receiving 10 discretionary points from Andy.