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ATTLEBORO - As the Attleboro Redevelopment Authority ramps up its effort to get a downtown revitalization plan in the works, the owners of two properties that lie in the project's path are worried.

They say the plan aimed at creating a dream come true for downtown is creating some sleepless nights for them.

Stalled talks with the ARA over the sale of their land and buildings tucked onto a four-acre parcel off Olive Street along the Ten Mile River have left them in limbo and anxious about their futures, they say.

While they back the downtown plan that would bring transportation improvements, new housing and more commercial space into the city center, they're concerned that their own plans are endangered by a process that they believe leaves them out in the cold.

It's a powerless feeling, they said. "The ARA and the city are the kings, and we're under the kings and have to do whatever they decide," said Orville "Trip" Richardson, owner of property once occupied by Johnson Industrial Fabricators.

He has plans to replace the factory with another business on the site. The mired talks are costing him time and money, Richardson said.

And the lack of an agreement after more than a year of on-and-off negotiations is taking a high toll, said his neighbors, who own Reynolds and Markman Co.

"Things have been a little stressful around here for the last year or so," said Kevin M. Judge, who owns the company with his father, Kevin Judge Sr., and his mother, Joan Judge.

For Richardson, the stalemate is holding up development plans and "retirement money," and for the Judges it's creating doubt about the financial viability of their company if they are forced to move without getting the price they believe they need.

The anxieties emerged last week as the ARA and city pushed to get the project, which would occupy about 26 acres between the Ten Mile River and the Amtrak railroad, on a fast track because of concerns that millions of dollars in federal money could be lost if progress is not made soon.

In recent comments, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, said he won't seek more federal money to add to the $10 million that's already earmarked unless an urban renewal plan and a city funding plan are pushed forward. And money already awarded to the city could be lost because of tightening federal budgets, he said.

A public hearing on the urban renewal plan, which would give the ARA power to take property by eminent domain, is scheduled for 7 p.m. today in city hall.

Meanwhile, Richardson and his brother, Jonathan, have acquired city permits to put up a 45,000-square-foot self-storage facility on the one acre of land they own and which is now occupied by three former Johnson Fabrication buildings.

But because of the ARA's well publicized plans, they can't get financing. Neither can they lease the property or sell it, Richardson said. They're in limbo with no money coming in.

"Here we sit with plans all ready to get going on," he said. "But we can't do anything. We're in a tough spot right now."

And next door, the Judges are worried about the future of their family-owned, five-person industrial supply company if the ARA takes their 3.1 acres and two buildings.

They were offered an amount they claim would force them into debt and weaken the company's financial stability.

The younger Judge charges the ARA has not negotiated in good faith.

"It's nowhere near what we need to go somewhere else," he said of the ARA offer. "They haven't invited us to the table."

ARA Executive Director Michael Milanoski said he's not surprised by the concerns.

"When you do a public project like this, not everyone is going to be happy at the end of the day," he said, noting that the ARA's efforts to arrive at an amicable agreement are not over. "Once the urban renewal plan is approved, we'll make one last attempt to negotiate and come to common ground."

But Milanoski said the parameters of negotiation are limited because the ARA is legally restricted in how much it can offer for the properties. It can only offer "fair market value," as determined by two professional appraisals, which protects the taxpayer as well as the property owner, he said.

Sometimes the price can be boosted if it can be shown it will help avoid costly litigation later, Milanoski said.

"The numbers they have in their minds, and the numbers we can legally pay are different," he said in explaining the stalemate.

But if no agreement can be reached and the property is taken by eminent domain, the owners still have options.

They can take the ARA to court, and if they can show fair market value was not paid, they can win more money, Milanoski said.

The former owner of the land where the Poncin-Hewitt Fields is located did just that and won the case, Milanoski said.

He believes the ARA's process is fair, and points to the fact that the agency has come to agreement with owners of the The Old Barn and Automatic Machine Co. on Wall Street.

The ARA also worked out problems with Larson Tool and Stamping, and ultimately avoided taking part of that property.

"We treat everybody fairly, and to the full extent of the law," he said.

GEORGE W. RHODES can be reached at 508-236-0432 or at grhodes@thesunchronicle.com.