I guess my questions that still remain: Did the city in theory have a lot of leverage in these negotiations after the second failed attempt at rezoning by the developers? 

That's where the Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) designation becomes a game-changer. 

They have a section on their website with multifamily deals for sale. https://www.greaterclevelandreia.com/PropertyList.aspx?

When you look them up make sure the owner isn't a LLC and that there primary address is not the same as the property you where looking at. This

In most cases, neither is warranted.Warning: I am not an attorney, and this can be a complicated topic.

I would fist run the numbers to see if it is a good deal at the price and everything else, and then I would drive down the streets to see if you see any licensed contractor signs/trucks.

If it is a high end housing product you may have to use a designer because they have access to some material/finish suppliers that are otherwise unavailable but that tends to only be for the highest end housing deliveries.

I did have to replace windows.

Where to get the most recent and accurate data for things like:Unemployment dataPopulation growthJob diversity and top employers in the areaVacancy rates (eg huduser.org)Property taxes and jnsurance costsI saw bp pro and reventure and a bunch of other websites provide some of this data, but i wonder how accurate and recent it is.

I have been on BP a long time and maybe about eight years ago , a person had a small chance of finding a posted house for sale here that can be flipped.