Are there any tried and true/ industry standard sites, forums, etc. where those looking to avoid capital gains look for investment properties?  

The knowledge I've gained has been invaluable.

The last couple of months I have begun to gain more knowledge about Real Estate investing and becoming more informative.

With the exception of finding the tenants (I use an agent) I manage all maintenance aspects of the property but am coming to a point where I might want to move on and considering doing a 1031 exchange to of course avoid Cap Gains and invest in another property closer to my primary residence.

You will need a minimum of a 3/4 ton truck to pull them , I would get a dump trailer dual axel  12,000 lb capable of moving the equipment , also used for hauling . you will need DOT numbers on the truck since you are over 10,000 lbs combined gross vehicle weight , and a DOT physical for the driver .

If you have a larger portfolio & some infrastructure behind you it can be nice because you can off set your losses with all of your gains.

I'd do a 1031 exchange and defer capital gains.

I'm just wondering how to handle the capital gain tax between me and my partner.

This is not a "real estate rental income" activity as defined by the IRS, so whether you are a REP or not, you can take this benefit.All of this is separate from a QOZ Investment, which would require you to first recognize a capital gain from another source (say a stock sale), invest that gain, hold it in a Corporate or Partnership structure (likely partnership), meeting the substantial improvement qualifications of being a QOZB, and then yes, you get to avoid the depreciation recapture at the end of the 10 year hold period, at least for the portion of your investment attributable to the original gain that you invested in the project. 

This opportunity has allowed me to not only gain great knowledge about parking, but commercial real estate as a whole.