Riddle me this... funding for a duplex in a commercial zone??

[Julie Hill]

Hey party people! We are finishing the renovation of a duplex in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. The goal was to STR it but obviously that won't be happening now! We are going to put long-term tenants in there for at least a year. Anyway, besides the great revenue it was projected to make on airbnb, the other reason we took on this project was because it was zoned commercial so even if Birmingham decides to regulate airbnb (currently it does not), the zoning code allows for a short term rental already anyway.

So now on to the fun.... trying to do a cash-out refi in a coronovirus recession on a super rare type of property (at least in Bham).  So far we are getting a lot of "I won't touch that with a 10 foot pole" answers... mainly because commercial lenders want bigger projects not a little 'ol duplex.  Especially in this market.   

Does anyone know of a lender that specializes in this type of thing?  The lending could be similar to work/live lofts, etc.  Just an idea.

TIA!