Local government / Bellingham
Tax incentive supports investment in key Bellingham areas
Two areas in Whatcom County, including Bellingham’s downtown and waterfront, were recently selected for a competitive, national designation as Opportunity Zones for a second time. These zones benefit from a federal tax incentive that’s designed to attract private investment in low-income communities. The program allows eligible investors to defer and reduce their capital gains taxes when they invest capital gains in a business or property in an Opportunity Zone. Gov. Bob Ferguson announced Washington selections Oct. 8. Learn more, including how Bellingham has benefited from this designation in the past, on our Opportunity Zones page .
City of Bellingham news reported the following in its 2026-10-15 newsletter. This article covers the “Tax incentive supports investment in key Bellingham areas” section.
Two areas in Whatcom County, including Bellingham’s downtown and waterfront, were recently selected for a competitive, national designation as Opportunity Zones for a second time. These zones benefit from a federal tax incentive that’s designed to attract private investment in low-income communities. The program allows eligible investors to defer and reduce their capital gains taxes when they invest capital gains in a business or property in an Opportunity Zone. Gov. Bob Ferguson announced Washington selections Oct. 8. Learn more, including how Bellingham has benefited from this designation in the past, on our Opportunity Zones page .
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City of Bellingham news →Source publication: Oct 15, 2026
Source checked: Oct 19, 2026
Brief prepared: Oct 15, 2026
Automatically prepared from the linked public source. Source-digest highlights are quoted excerpts, not independent reporting. Dates and claims remain those of the source.