If you wanted the REP designation in the future, you can have your signficant other qualify and that would allow you to qualify (e.g. a stay at home wife) or you can take a consulting role resulting in the real estate being your full time gig.

BiggerPockets is full of resources designed to help you along your journey, whether you are just getting started or a seasoned investor.

Big Money investors buying all kinds of property south of downtown and West of downtown in design district. 

Regs can run the gamut:  STR licenses are unlimited and available immediately with no restrictions, STRs can only be rented so many nights/ stays a year, STRs can only be in designated areas, the number of STRs are capped and there is a waitlist for a license.As others have mentioned, typically an unregulated STR will have more revenue than a LTR, but it will require more consistent work and effort.  

We jointly took part in the design phase, and they got what they wanted and I got what I wanted.

That's a well-designed portfolio from a geographical diversification standpoint. 

If nothing else, offering a small reward like a gift card to their favorite restaurant (ask when they initially sign the lease) helps.

Other empty drugstores are becoming plasma collection centers, thrift stores, and car washes.While repurposing drugstores can be challenging, especially when dealing with building design and community concerns, their prime locations make them ideal for creative reuse.

I know out this way we have to design our project for 100 year storm events.

Or is it a binary designation?