Britschgi keeps it short and sweet in this piece:
The biggest landowner in the United States is the federal government, which controls about a quarter of the country's real estate. A lot of that land serves as military installations, national parks, and nature preserves. A lot of it, particularly out West, is sitting unused.
Much of this is in the middle of nowhere and unlikely to be developed even in the best of circumstances. Some of it rings existing urban areas or is interspersed among already developed, privately owned parcels.
BUT, there's hope:
With housing prices ballooning in the once-affordable Mountain West, politicians of both parties have started to seriously consider selling off some of that excess, unused acreage for home development. ... The current Congress might be the body to get the job done. In past years, Sen. Mike Lee (R–Utah) has repeatedly introduced bills that would create a streamlined process for selling off BLM land to state and local governments, but only if they allow housing to be built on it. Those bills might have an easier time moving in a Republican-controlled Senate.
Afuera todo, seriously.