One of the major things causing a shortage of land is the frustrating government regulations involved in permitting a piece of property.
I own 10 acres near Mt. Rainier and the county (Pierce) is about to bankrupt me trying to meet all the septic, well, building, wetland, etc. permits. This wetland (old Indian word for lousy drainage) thing is outrageous. Now they are looking at a 300' buffer around anything they decide is a wetland (all of Western Washington is pretty soggy). The concept of private property is beyond the leftist slime running this state.
The attack on private property is not limited to your state. There are so many programs being pushed by the federal government - watershed protection, open space preservation, historical regions that all appear to have as their primary goal getting control of land out of the hands of individuals and into the hands of unelected bureaucrats. It's everywhere. Some local governments are more cooperative in implementing that others though, so some areas remain freer than others.
Not just your state--every state. Anybody who thinks they actually own the land they live on is out of their minds.