For instance, I know one strategy called "land entitlement"[1]:
Step 1) Find an area that has demand for a type of building or business that it is not zoned for.
Step 2) Buy an option on a plot of land in that area.
Step 3) Lobby the government to rezone that area / approve your project
Step 4) Execute option and acquire land and a fraction of its new valuation
This isn't directly analogous to the what happened in this instance, but essentially this is just a way for people with influence in local government to make money. Imagine if someone with connections to the FDA bought an option on a biotech stock and then convinced his friend, the commissioner, to help get their drug through the approval process. I'm pretty sure that would be illegal (or at least a gray area) -- but it's fair game in real estate.
[1] https://cashflowconnections.com/land-entitlement-with-chris-...