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ATTLEBORO - A sweeping urban renewal plan won a ringing endorsement from the city council Tuesday, signaling the end of planning and the beginning of what officials hope is a renaissance for downtown and an overall boost to the city's economy.

The council approved the historic measure on a vote of 10-1 during a special meeting that was solemn and deliberate but infused with optimism for the plan created by the Attleboro Redevelopment Authority. That plan calls for transportation improvements coupled with housing and commercial development in the center which has experienced steady decline for decades.

While passage of the plan and a separate $2.5 million loan authorization that will help fund the first phase of the project is a major milestone for the city, the work has just begun, officials said.

"It's the end of the first chapter and the beginning of a long series of chapters," said Mayor Kevin Dumas. "It's been a Herculean effort by all the people involved."

But Dumas was jubilant after the vote. "I'm thrilled, absolutely thrilled," said the mayor who worked closely with ARA to get the plan to a decision point. "The merits of the plan speak for themselves."

Like the mayor, ARA chairman Pret Stevenson said the work is just beginning.

"It was hard getting here, but there's a lot more work now," he said. "I'm excited for the city."

The lopsided vote was not a surprise. The plan has faced little serious opposition during a number of public discussions over the last year or so when final plans came together.

Councilor Jim Hanley, a former school board chairman, cast the only opposing vote, raising concerns about the project's cost and the impact on schools and city services in general.

"If we are wrong, we are going to shift the burden to the taxpayers of Attleboro," he said. "If we are wrong, we are going to crush our parents, burden ourselves and mortgage our children's future."

He also had doubts about the ARA's ability to implement the plan.

But those were the only negative words.

Most councilors clearly believed the plan is the best hope for a moribund downtown and believed the time to act is now.

Councilor Frank Cook, chairman of the finance committee and the person responsible for ushering the plan through the council process, characterized the vote as "historic." "This is the most important vote any of us will ever take," Cook said. "This is a vote that is not entered into easily or lightly, but I believe this plan offers hope for downtown and I applaud the vision of the ARA. I believe this will allow us to have a vital downtown again."

Councilor Peter Blais said the time to act is now.

"This is a vision I believe will work," he said. "Downtown is at crossroads. We can't allow it to go further downhill. We have to start climbing. A steady incline is better than the decline we've been in for years."

Councilor Bill Bowles said the project has a number of benefits for the center.

It will relocate the public works yard, open up the river for public use and improve traffic flow, to name a few, he said.

"It does some very good things for the city of Attleboro," Bowles said.

He had to overcome two major reservations to vote for it, he said.

A $13 million city expense for a commuter rail parking garage in Phase 2 was a major concern, but the ARA, halved that amount and assigned the other half to yet unknown funding sources to allay Bowles' worries.

And he was convinced that property owners who lie in the path of the project will be treated fairly by the ARA, he said.

A message from the council as a whole said the plan will not only help the downtown economy, but the entire city's economy.

While the council acknowledged the effort "is not without risk," it went on to state it believes in the plan.

"The council believes that this project will benefit the residents of the city and serve as a catalyst to further stimulate the downtown economy," it wrote. "In turn, the economic benefits of this action should assist in stabilizing the city's tax structure which for too long has witnessed a decline in its industrial- commercial base."

The plan, which gives the ARA the power of eminent domain and defines five downtown districts where that power could potentially be implemented still needs to be approved by the state's Department of Housing and Community Development.

However, ARA executive director Michael Milanoski, pointman for the project, said the department is well informed about the plan and has not found problems with it.

While five districts are outlined in the plan, the council vote Tuesday authorizes implementation in only two, the 32-acre Riverfront District, where most of the activity will take place and a six-acre industrial parcel known as the Cookson District where the ARA is spearheading the reuse of a vacant factory that will bring 300 jobs to the city.

The $2.5 million loan order, also approved 10-1, will provide the city's share of a $14.7 million first phase cost.

If all goes as planned implementation could begin in August, Milanoski said.

Future phases will be funded separately giving the city leverage on how far the project advances.

Most of the funding comes from $10 million in federal grants, secured by U.S. Rep. James McGovern over the last eight years.

The vote Tuesday was pushed by McGovern who said the earmarked money could go to other communities if the city didn't act soon.

What began in 1999 as a $500,000 federal grant to plan a new commuter rail parking garage evolved into the current comprehensive plan to revitalize the center of the city.

Conceived as a urban village and based on the principles of Smart Growth, in which old urban areas are reused to create a close-knit mix of housing, business, transportation and recreation, the plan has faced little serious opposition from the community, which has been dismayed for years by a dying downtown.

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