Installing packages to alternate directories

["Brian Smith" <ohohvi@gmail.com>]

Hello,
 I'm currently trying to install a bunch of software to a flash-based
machine with a 1GB flash drive and 1GB ram.  In order to save space, I
want to have most of the development packages I need for compiling in
a separate directory (say /usr/remote), which is mounted as a samba
share on a machine with more space.  Can I maintain 2 separate
directories for packages, and how do I control where a package gets
installed using apt-get or dpkg?

Thanks,
 Brian