Sit down with them, make a plan (not all contractors are great planners in my experience), and pay them as much of those bonuses in cold hard cash.

Does anyone have any experience as a financial planner that moved into real estate?

Your financial planner is making the right recommendation. 

Call a city planner and get clarification  on the zoning .

Investors, planner, architects...

I spent much time in the county planning office and on the phone with the power company: what it would take to run electricity out there was increasing the size to 750 sq feet to get a permit and (though the power co planner I befriended over time was not allowed to make estimates until I had the permit in hand and they'd done an inspection) ballpark $15-18k to run the power. 

., IRA custodian, CPA, financial planner).An entity (such as a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or estate) of which 50% or more is owned directly or indirectly or held by a fiduciary or service provider; also a partner which holds 10% of a joint ventur of such entity.

I've also spoken to a city planner and he said he'd help with my list of interested properties as they're trying to revitalize and stabilize areas of the city. 

"You don't know what you don't know", and had I to do it over again I would have talked to as many other developers, engineers, planners, contractors, utility contractors, graders etc. as I could before I spent my first dollar on a site plan.

Unfortunately great tax planners are expensive, so you have to make sure it is truly worth it before you go down that rabbit hole.