PARRISH — Frank Maruca and his neighbors insist they are not snobs.

But he understands it may look that way based on a lawsuit they filed arguing that a group of homes priced in the low $100,000s should not be going up near their own, which cost nearly $300,000.

Maruca and six others are now suing the development company, which includes prominent local developer Pat Neal of Neal Communities, to block the construction of lower-priced "cottage" homes in their upscale, gated Forest Creek community in Parrish.

Maruca says it is not snobbery driving the suit, but a sincere desire to protect the value of their own homes.

"The whole issue is buyers' rights," said Maruca, who paid $273,000 for his home in 2006. "We did not buy in to be part of an affordable housing  community."

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Manatee County, argues that the lower-priced homes will drag down the overall value of the community.

Additionally, these residents complain that these less expensive homes are smaller, are built closer together and may not be as well-maintained as other higher-priced models in Forest Creek.

Neal said he was surprised by the lawsuit. He said he met with residents, including Maruca, before unveiling his plan for the cottages.

"I don't think any court on the planet is going to entertain these complaints," Neal said. "I don't see any way in the world where offering lower prices is a bad thing."

Maruca now lives in northwest Bradenton and rents out the home he owns in Forest Creek. Other plaintiffs include his wife, Maria, his brother, Alphonse, and residents Maureen Giordano and Sergio and Gabriele Tasende.

Neal grabbed headlines in February when he announced that the price of the Key West-style cottages would start in the low $120,000s.

He had not offered a price that low in nearly 20 years. But he felt the prices would move property in a time of a nationwide housing downturn and plunging prices.

The numbers are not good for home sellers. According to the Florida Association of Realtors, the median sales price for a home in the Sarasota-Bradenton market is about $239,000, down from about $291,000 last year.

The cottage homes now start at about $146,000, still below the $176,000 price for a home that Manatee County considers "affordable."

Town houses planned for the site were not selling, Neal said, and he needed to try something new to kick-start construction in Forest Creek.

Manatee County Commissioner Gwen Brown, who attended the unveiling of the cottages plan in February, said she could not understand why residents would sue.

"The market's not there for those $300,000 homes," Brown said. "If they know how to turn the market around, I'm sure he'd be open to ideas."

Neal said the cottages will sell at about the same price the town houses would have cost.

To date, Neal has sold 31 of the cottage homes. Models have already been built, and construction has begun on several of the sold sites.

The starting price advertised for the town houses was about $180,000.

The cottage homes range from 1,200 to 1,650 square feet.

Other homes in Forest Creek range from 1,768 square feet to 2,504 square feet. Town houses are between 1,434 square feet and 1,684 square feet.

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