A lot of the cost is regulatory. Starting a project where 3/4ths of your time will be your construction crews idling while waiting on your army of lawyers to ge

A lot of the cost is regulatory. Starting a project where 3/4ths of your time will be your construction crews idling while waiting on your army of lawyers to get injunctions lifted, makes the idea incredibly unattractive to investors. Which is the whole point of people who use the court system as a strategic barrier to new construction, even when they realize they'll likely ultimately lose.