I am currently attending school at Penn State - Harrisburg for a Mechanical Engineering degree, although I am not sure if I will continue on into the field of engineering.

I know that I will need to get an inspection and possibly a structural engineer's opinion. 

Yet my long term commercial lender at a small town bank said I was not eligible for anymore loans after I quit my 6 figure engineering job because my flip income was not reoccurring. 

I have literally listened to over 30 podcast episodes over the last 4-5 days and am listening to them while I type this.Here's a little about me:I am a Project Manager for an electrical contractor.I am a licensed Professional Engineer (Electrical) in the state of Michigan.I have done some single family home flips in the past.

I am in a new property management company after a career path that included engineering, being a stockbroker, a business owner, a waiter, and now business partner in a property management company.  

Let me say that we will obviously have an inspector come and look through these, as well as my grandfather (who is in roofing) and my father in law (who is a mechanical engineer that loves wiring houses).    

I work full time as a mechanical engineer, and in addition to the little experience I already have being a landlord/doing rehabs, I've been reading as much as I can.

Talk to a civil engineer or architect that has done zone changes before in that city.Other contingencies could be soils issues.

Let me know if your colleague needs a referral for a civil engineering/construction management company in San Diego. 

Presently negotiating for a 65 acre piece with a stream on it which on a paved road with power for 100K SUBJECT to LURC approval for a building lot  and a engineers rendering for a septic system ..