My wife and I have 3 vacation rentals, and BP has been a terrific resource.  

The wholesaling blogs would be a good resource as well https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/category/real-estate-wholesaling/

How do you best utilize all the resources (networking, podcasts, resources) that BP has to offer on this site to increase your net work while decreasing the time it takes you to achieve your goals?

Sounds like @Adam Menconi and @Bill Bockwoldt are great resources so I will do my prep work.Re the use permit, you hit the nail on the head.

Complexity being that my mom is retired and doesn't want ANY income for whatever financial planning reasons and she doesn't want to do the work, but she's liking the idea of keeping the wealth in the family and we've had a very good financial relationship for my entire adult life.

@Amber Gonion would be a good resource for you. 

Is there a website or a resource that provides operating cost and rental income for multi family homes to help an out of state investor decide if this is a good area, and if the props are worth taking a deeper look at?

House hacking can relieve you of rent if your financial model makes sense.

I'm a graduating Senior in college set to start as a Financial Analyst in January of 2018.

Both situations you're reaching out to others to combine resources and fund projects.