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ATTLEBORO - The city redevelopment authority has paid $2.5 million for about 19 acres off County Street, nearly completing its land acquisition for an industrial business park, but the sum is twice what it cost the property owners only two years ago.

The land was acquired from DJT Realty and A. Capronigro & Co., which purchased most of the land two years ago for $1 million.

Michael Milanoski, executive director of Attleboro Redevelopment Authority, said the agency now has about 180 of the 190 acres it wants for the park.

The bulk of the land was given to the authority by the city.

Milanoski said the price of the most recent purchase was influenced by the owners having grandfather rights to develop the site for homes. Although the land is now zoned for industrial use, Milanoski said the authority had to pay residential prices for it.

The land is being paid for with government grants and bank loans, he said.

The land, behind a row of new houses on County Street near Tiffany Street, is made up of two main parcels.

The authority paid $1.95 million for the larger parcel of 16.3 acres.

A smaller site is about two acres.

The authority took that land by eminent domain two years ago. The owners appealed in Taunton District Court, saying the compensation was "grossly inadequate."

However, the two sides settled out of court, agreeing on selling prices of $540,000 earlier this month.

The city assessors' office valued the larger parcel at $309,000 and the smaller one at $186,600.

The redevelopment authority and the assessor are in a dispute before the state appellate tax board over another piece of land for the industrial park, with the authority saying the assessment is too high.

Milanoski said the recent purchase will be part of Phase II of the industrial park. The plan is for the land to hold several lots for businesses that want to locate in Attleboro in the future.

Phase I is now underway and includes the first road through the site, Commerce Way. The road runs from Tiffany Street to County Street and goes through the smaller parcel that was taken two years ago.

The developers retained five acres of their land north of the industrial park.

The developer and its attorney could not be reached for comment.

jim hand can be reached at 508-236-0399 or jhand@thesunchronicle.com.