What you are asking IMO may not warrant an expensive lawyer getting involved.

Work with the local experts- talk with local zoning officials, engage architects, and reach out to contractors to understand the cost and feasibility of your project.Run your numbers- do some forecasting and layout some financial models to project costs, revenues, and returns.Make sure you are utilizing your team- aforementioned real estate broker, financial advisor/ CPA, and lawyer and others as you go.Best wishes and good luck.

I have hore a lawyer to get my $15,000 dollar back.

I went this route a long time ago after a close friend who's a lawyer told me to save the time and money on LLC's and accounting and keep everything in your name with a large cheap umbrella. 

Sure, we can lawyer up to the tilt but that's the last thing I would want to get involved in if things turned South.

The only reason I'm hesitant to move forward without this info is that the seller is an inactive corporation - if they dissolve and there are issues with their warranty deed then I don't want to have to pay a lawyer to go after the GP of the defunct partnership to make me whole.

Don’t let your argument hinge on a “forum lawyer”. 

Get a lawyer to help you with this if the amounts are enough or if you need the help to do it.

Piercing the corporate veil is easy (from what a lawyer I talked to said) and unless you are running a large operation I have heard it isn't worth it here. 

David, please talk with a lawyer about this, there may be criminal, ie SEC violations, or at least civil claim you can bring.