It's not really good land, suited for housing though. It's really far out, and has none of the normal conveniences that the main city offers (Stores, Food, Shopping, Grocery, Ect). There doesn't seem to be enough land to build all that out. So, why bother with all this at all?
I am not living there, so I don't know what is best for the country or that land, this is just a thinking out loud thing.