But her formal education and career path took her elsewhere.

There's no formal classification, it's a subjective measure.A - new construction, lots of amenities (nice pool, gym, garages, business center, etc.).  

The only problem is I don't know what niche would be the most advantageous path given my current path of formal education. 

Have you ever gotten a construction lien dismissed (outside of formal foreclosure)?

(but looks like you would for first month)...so back to your situation, which is not clean, but check your state rules and verify without the signed lease, you reverted to the month to month, so I would really document and communicate the end of June move out date (like verbal plus a follow up more formal looking letter) and prepare for the move out then and the painters, etc to come in..

We have a monthly meetup in Gaithersburg on the Rockville border.

There's not much the lenders can do based on my preliminary estimated numbers so until I have the formal pro-forma data from the feasibility analysis, that will have to go on the back burner.

Only then, if you have no success, it might be worth paying someone to help you and paying for the formal appeal application.

I work 35 miles from home making not very much and I have no formal education.

In the relationship structure you imply, be it JV or formal management, the other party sounds like they are putting up the capital so logic would dictate you are supposed to put up the expertise.