Also try to attend your local REI networking groups and meetups. 

We're looking to build something unique/contemporary with of course elements of the local area (mountain town).

I'd recommend reaching out to a bunch of local lenders to tell them what you're looking for and your situation.

Quote from @LeRoi De-Souza: Go to BUILD YOUR TEAM at the top of your screen and you can search for other MEMBERS or LOCAL MEETUPS.

Always rely on what the lease says and comply with local and state laws. 

Just look around at other local banks and CUs.

Earned income is pretty much W2 income - something you get a paid for actively doing.It's not about who you are renting to (ie. travel nurses) - it's the fact it is rental income in the first place.Randy

Another option is to find a good local architect, civil engineer, or similiar third party consultant to take a look at it and let you know their thoughts on the viability of developing it. 

I've personally worked with a handful of "investor-friendly" lenders, primarily on DSCR loans in recent years, and each time I've run into significant delays, lack of transparency about the process, have been fed the requirements in a piecemeal fashion (every few days there's a new random request rather than having it all organized from the start), and have even run into lenders who were substantially misinformed about the real estate industry or the laws that govern it on both a local and federal level.I think there should be a better site to encourage accountability by tracking how long it actually takes each lender to close their loans on average, and what unexpected hurdles investors encounter when trying to work with them.I can't seem to find such a site.

Active RE is not passive.