Real-estate developer Jeff Branch wants to turn his proposed Cielo Azul subdivision off Agua Fría Street into a manufactured-home park — something his critics call a bait and switch tactic.

A second early neighborhood notification hearing on the project is to be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Southside Branch Library, 6599 Jaguar Drive.

Linda Flatt said that people from her Las Acequias subdivision, as well as residents of Agua Fría, plan to attend the meeting to protest what would be the 14th trailer park in the far southwest end of town -- with no others in any other part of Santa Fe.

"Everybody who's living in the south side would like to see it appreciate and not be dumped on," she said. "He may be trying to dress it up, but it's still a trailer park."

Branch said this week that he bought the 40 acres between South Meadows Road and Lopez Lane in 2006, received approval from the city for 222 lots for houses to be built on-site, but has been unable to get financing for the project.

"People can't qualify for houses," he said. "Everybody from Centex has looked at it, to my cousin Dennis Branch and a group out of Denver, and nobody can get financing in these down times, so the only way we could consider doing anything was to convert it to a rental project."

Despite the negative connotations of mobile-home parks, Branch said, his intention is to work with Karsten Homes of Albuquerque to put manufactured homes on permanent foundations. Because smaller setbacks are required for this type of housing, he said, Cielo Azul could be expanded to up to 235 lots.

"It's not a bait and switch by any means, but it's our ability to keep moving forward on a project that will allow people to live there and have a home and basically an affordable home," he said. "That's what it amounts to, but with strong covenants, strong management, amenities, gated -- not much different than what we already have approved, to be honest with you."