From pizza to pot? Dispensary plan for Northampton’s Main Street advances

NORTHAMPTON — The downtown building that formerly housed Sam’s Pizzeria and Cafe has a new tenant: Galil Greenery LLC, which has proposed opening a marijuana retail store in the city.

The news was revealed on a sign that Goggins Real Estate recently posted on the doors of the building at 235 Main St., stating that Galil Greenery is “coming soon.” It’s unclear how soon, however. The company has struck a host community agreement with Northampton to open an adult-use pot shop, but that’s just one of several steps needed to open a marijuana establishment in Massachusetts.

“They’re waiting for state approval, from what I understand,” Goggins President Patrick M. Goggins said. “They have the property secured, and they need to have the property secured with an address to accompany their application.”

Adi Nagli, a resident of Maine who is listed as a manager of Galil Greenery on its corporate documents filed with the state, declined to speak with a reporter Sunday.

In September, Galil Greenery signed its host community agreement with Northampton — one of the necessary steps to securing a license from the state to operate a marijuana establishment. With a property secured, the company is one step closer.

The state’s Cannabis Control Commission has approved licenses for 33 retailers thus far, according to its website.

The only company to receive one in Northampton thus far has been New England Treatment Access, or NETA, which was one of the two first marijuana retailers to receive licenses in the state. NETA opened on Nov. 20, 2018.

So far, Northampton has struck host agreements with 11 proposed adult-use retailers; two proposed medical retailers, in addition to NETA; six proposed product manufacturing facilities; two proposed cultivation facilities; and a proposed independent testing lab.