Interests have been trying to redevelop The Block in downtown Asheville for what some claim has been a couple decades. The strategy appears to be reliance on grants, tax credits, tax increment financing, and a lot of motivational speaking. The interests wish to convert historical low-rise buildings into an eight-story, mixed-use structure. The highlighted use would be affordable housing. John Boyle of the Citizen-Times faults “lack of consensus, bureaucratic red tape, and lawsuits” for the absence of new construction. One of the interests cites “due diligence and financing” as factors that will be key to the project’s success. Can anybody think of any other reasons why people without investment capital might struggle to build a large-scale, subsidized housing project?