Comment by sethammons

Not op, but a small example: my elderly friends had 5 acres they owned and lived on for a few decades and wanted to split a lot off for their kid's family. The modernization costs (no continued septic - must run sewer, must put in additional access, must this, must that. They gave up after spending $40k in permits and paperwork when they realized it was going to cost a few hundred grand before construction of the new house even began. The city wants developers who can invest a lot of money for semi-luxury apartments.