Norwich - The city planning commission late Tuesday rejected a controversial 185-unit active-adult community condominium project on Scotland, Hansen and White Plains roads, agreeing with dozens of neighbors that the project was too large and the development too dense for this rural section of the city.

The Commission on the City Plan voted unanimously to reject the application after a contentious three-hour public hearing.

Controversy started early and extended late into the night on the project, with accusations by the developer's attorney that the commission was biased countered by accusations by residents that the attorney was trying to threaten or intimidate the commission.

Before the hearing opened, attorney David Sherwood, representing Norwichtown Development LLC, accused all five commission members of bias and prejudice against the project.

He asked all five to recuse themselves and asked that the City Council appoint five “neutral” members to review the plans.

Sherwood's complaint centered on the commission's action in October to support an application by the City Council to a state legislative committee to redesignate the 60 acres involved in the project as rural land on the state conservation map. The change was approved Tuesday afternoon by the Continuing Legislative Committee on State Planning and Development, and would prevent sewers from being extended out to the property.

Commission members rejected Sherwood's request, and refused his second request to directly interview each commission member regarding their possible bias.

When Sherwood asked the commission to keep the hearing open to submit additional information, such as a landscaping plan and traffic study next month, commission member Arthur Sharron fired back. He criticized the applicant for not having that information available Tuesday, well ahead of the hearing.

Commission members rejected Sherwood's request and said they were ready to close the hearing and vote.

Sherwood and development partner Tom Abele declined to comment on the vote late Tuesday.

Several opponents said the plan had been rejected by the inland wetlands commission and the state legislative committee, questioning how the project could go forward with those denials.

Testimony by the public turned emotional at times, with residents saying the project is too big and development too dense for the rural neighborhood. They objected to the traffic, streetlights, clearing of woodlands and paving farmland.

Attorney Eric Knapp, representing resident Barbara Doherty, said the project would create “chaos” for the quiet area.

”It's improbable that 185 units plopped down in a single-family neighborhood could not affect traffic,” Knapp said. “It's certainly incongruous with what's there now.”

The land is zoned for two-acre minimum, single-family lots, but Norwichtown Development LLC used a relatively new city ordinance that allows active-adult communities to be proposed in any residential zone on at least 10 acres, with a maximum of eight units per acre.

”I ask that you realize this is a total intrusion into the neighborhood,” said Pierce Browning, a longtime resident and owner of property just north of the project site. Browning said the rural farm roads are narrow and winding and said the project would create a city in the middle of the neighborhood.