WESTFIELD — The city is currently negotiating a host community agreement with a new company that is seeking to purchase the now-closed Heka Inc. facility on Sgt. Thomas Dion Way and open recreational and medical marijuana dispensary and cultivation operation.

“We’re looking to buy it and get it operational again,” said Phil Silverman, an attorney with Boston-based Vincente LLC, who is representing Westfield Ultra Premium LLC, the company planning to open doing business as Canna Ultra Premium Westfield.

And it’s possible the business could open by the end of the year.

“If things move on a reasonable timeline after we come to terms on the community host agreement, it should be open in seven to eight months,” Silverman said.

The city’s Community Development Director Peter Miller said the company recently approached the city requesting to negotiate the host agreement required by the Cannabis Control Commission before applying for a license.

“They did submit a package to the city and we are currently reviewing their application,” Miller said.

The 38,355-square-foot facility beside one of the runways at the Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport was purpose-built to be used as a dual dispensary offering recreational and medical marijuana and for a cultivation operation.

Silverman said in addition to those operations, the company is planning on installing equipment needed to extract the oils from marijuana flower used in edibles like gummies, chocolate bars, and cannabis-infused beverages.

The company will also apply for a delivery license, he said.

It typically takes between 12 and 14 months for a new facility to be built from the ground up and secure the licenses needed from the CCC to open.

However, because the facility was built for one purpose, Silverman said the CCC required architectural review process should take less time.

Once open, Silverman said the company expects to hire 25 employees but more employees will be needed as the operation ramps up.

The principals listed on the limited liabilities company on the Secretary of State’s corporate database are Wayne G. Shaffer, Stephen T. Berardino, both of Lynnfield, and Adenike John, of Boston.

In March 2023, Shaffer and Berardino were as the two managers of Tier II Holdings LLC, which tried, but was unsuccessful, in purchasing the former Chez Josef to use as a cannabis dispensary.

Last August, Heka abruptly closed its doors, but even before it opened in October 2021, it was already embroiled in several lawsuits filed against it by its early investors, one contractor, and its former legal counsel for nonpayment.

Alden Credit Union now owns the building, having bought it in 2022 from Heka’s former CEO for $6.4 million after having been a mortgage lender for the project.

Peter J. Miller, director of community development and planning for Westfield, said he was not informed of the shutdown by either Heka or by the state Cannabis Control Commission.

After Heka closed, it left only two marijuana retailers in the city — Cannabis Connection and Pioneer Valley Trading Co. The city have four licenses it can grant for recreational marijuana operations.