Often times, their approval processes are slow.Credit Unions - Their member structure also subsidizes their financial structure so they can also be a source of low-cost financing.

If you were hurt financially by this company you could sue, put a restraining order on sale of property etc.

Prioritize your financial stability.

An example in my experience would be a local/regional foundation with a mission that is aligned directly or indirectly with Affordable Housing AND a longer-term investment horizon with less of a focus on the financial return and more on the "social" return for the community.

I’ve found in my market it just doesn’t make financial sense to build additional units or rehab existing unused space to build additional units.

Trade some comfort for financial stability.Part of attaining financial success is being simultaneously optimistic and paranoid. 

In fact, out of 15+ deals I've submitted NONE have been purchased by Mentor Financial Group.

While both involve finding and properly securing a site and bringing it to full entitlement, the ground-up process includes the land piece but gets way more involved and complex to execute.The full "Monty" for ground-up development needs to include financial literacy, an explanation of metrics, and how they work.

It wasn't just a financial decision, I'm passionate about RE and way over my previous career in aviation.

Sounds like you are in a pretty strong financial position.