Peekskills Cannabis Culture Is on a Roll

Cannabis businesses are continuing to blossom in the City of Peekskill as 2026 sees the opening of the city's third dispensary and first two microbusinesses.

Joining Peekskill's first two dispensaries — Valley Greens and Cloud 914 — is Peek Buds, operated by NYSafe 420 LLC, at 1719 Main St. The owner, Steven Schaaff, told the Peekskill Herald it opened on April 28.

The first two cannabis microbusinesses to open are Art of Flower Farm's facility at 1698 Main St. and TKS Sensei at 8 John Walsh Blvd. Both businesses grow cannabis, with TKS Sensei planning to offer retail at a later date. Due to state laws, the cultivation and processing areas of the microbusinesses are not open to the public; therefore, there is no signage promoting the facilities.

Even more cannabis businesses are in the pipeline for Peekskill, including Pifford's, a dispensary at 500 Highland Ave, and two microbusinesses: Grand Street Cannabis at 710 Washington St. and Loud & Proper LLC at 8 John Walsh Blvd. 

Since opting into allowing dispensaries and microbusinesses in 2022, the city has awarded a total of eight special permits to cannabis businesses, five of which are open and three which are still in the works.

The New York State Office of Cannabis Management states the adult-use microbusiness license authorizes the cultivation, processing, distribution, retail sale and delivery of the licensee's own cannabis products. An adult-use microbusiness must engage in cannabis cultivation and at least one additional licensed activity, including processing, distribution, or retail sale.

Peek Buds: Dispensary

Prior to the opening of Peek Buds, owner NYSafe 420 LLC renovated the ground floor of 1719 Main St. — a site formerly occupied by Beer World and still home to a bottle redemption center — to transform the space to showcase and sell a range of cannabis products.

The business is led by Steven Schaaff, a first-time business owner born and raised in Orange County. He and his wife of over 20 years have raised two children in Goshen. His son, Derek, works at and co-runs the dispensary with his father.

“At our family-owned dispensary, you are never just a transaction. You are our neighbor,†Schaaff told the Herald. “We're here for Peekskill. We prioritize your wellbeing, education and safety above everything else.â€

The first cannabis dispensary, Valley Greens, operated by Shane Jackson, Daniel Berte, and Stephen Bond at 939 Central Ave, had its grand opening on Aug. 24, 2024. The second dispensary, Cloud 914, operated by Chris Calabrese and Kyle Knapp at 807 Washington St, had its grand opening on Nov. 12, 2024.

Art of Flower Farm: Microbusiness with grower

The Art of Flower Farm and Dispensary has been operating a cannabis microbusiness at 1698 Main St. since March 2026, according to an owner. It is not open to the public.

The facility, manned by five employees (two full time), is equipped with new growing equipment, with plants processed, packaged and distributed to co-owners Matthew Nicoletti and Nate Lyon's dispensary retail store, Quality High in Sleepy Hollow, which opened in July 2025.

It is located on the second floor commercial space of 1698 Main St., also home to Tuscana Pasta Co. and Peekskill Be First Boxing.

Reached by phone, Lyons told the Herald the dispensary at Sleepy Hollow has a delivery program that services the immediate area within a couple mile radius, including some of Mount Kisco, Chappaqua, Pleasantville, Irvington, Sleepy Hollow, Briarcliff, and Ossining.

As for the Peekskill arm of the business, Lyons said owners are not trying to draw attention to the facility, which is not open to the public and has no signage promoting it. 

Lyons said they are a sealed-grow operation, using carbon filters and scrubbers throughout the facility so there is no outside intake or exhaust air.

While plants are only being delivered to Quality High in Sleepy Hollow, Lyons told the Herald that starting in September, they will begin offering their flowers wholesale to other dispensaries that are outside of their immediate area.

“It's been good,†Lyons said of Quality High. “At the end of the year in Sleepy Hollow, we get a really large influx of tourists, and people come in the area [then] kind of go away. So the beginning of the year is kind of like a reset. You don't have quite the amount of business you had, but we've been doing well. We're building, we're growing as a company everyday. We're a small business, so every day is a challenge, but we're growing each day.â€

Lyons told the Herald the Peekskill facility is currently the only microbusiness that actually has retail stores operating in Westchester.

“To be vertically integrated, you've got to be good at everything, and it's tough margins,†Lyons said. “You're competing with economics of scale from large cultivators. It's not an easy business, that's for sure.â€

TKS Sensei: Microbusiness with grower, potentially retail in fall

TKS Sensei, a cannabis microbusiness with cultivation and manufacturing in the Atrium building at 8 John Walsh Blvd, is the second microbusiness to open in the City of Peekskill. 

CEO Matt Kachmar told the Herald over a phone call that the microbusiness is growing on a small scale and that it fulfilled its first order in March. Retail is aimed for late fall. 

The Herald previously reported that Kolektor and Sensei Cultivation — both legacy growers with deep roots in the state's cannabis culture — formed TKS Sensei NY LLC. After more than a decade cultivating in the black and gray markets and building loyal followings, the partners won a state cannabis microbusiness license in September 2024 to go legit.

Plans called for renovating three floors of a brick building adjacent to the Atrium entrance for manufacturing and extraction operations, while transforming 878 square feet of commercial space at the front entrance into a dispensary.

The first and third floors house manufacturing and extraction operations, while the second floor contains offices. Cannabis is cultivated hydroponically on site, harvested, trimmed and cured before being packaged and labeled — all under one roof.

As of this writing, Kachmar did not respond for further comment, following a reception issue interrupting the phone call.

What's coming next? 

Both a fourth cannabis dispensary and two more cannabis microbusinesses are in the works.

Pifford's

Pifford's, located at 500 Highland Ave, got approval to open from the city in August 2025. It is owned by Cliff Mascarenhas and Naomi Vogt of Pifford's Inc. The store is not yet open but has a “COMING SOON†sign on its doors and operating hours posted.

Owners have not responded for comment as of this writing.

Vogt's profile on Alignable reads, “Piffords is an adult-use recreational dispensary located in Peekskill, NY. They offer a unique, customizable cannabis experience with a focus on education. By utilizing unique NFT [Non-Fungible Token] labeling practices, they provide comprehensive information about their products, ensuring that their customers are well-informed and confident in their choices.â€

Grand Street Cannabis Co.

Grand Street Cannabis Co. received a council special permit on Dec. 22, 2025, to have a cannabis microbusiness at 710 Washington St. The business, which would have no retail, aims to occupy about 7,301 square feet of a two-story multi-commercial tenant space.

But the facility faces a large hurdle preventing it from opening via a notice of remedy that was issued in the fall to the Washington St. building, which also houses a mirror company and entertainment space company.

Grand Street Cannabis Co. partners Joseph McDonald III and Colin Beauchemin did not respond for comment as of this writing.

The Department of Buildings found on Oct. 1 that the current configuration of the building with multiple industrial uses represents a change of use. A notice to remedy violations found during the fire inspection was issued on Oct. 29. The owner was required to contact the department within 10 days to discuss steps that need to be taken to remediate the violations.

Asked if the issue has been resolved yet, Director of Planning Carol Samol told the Herald via email that it is in the process of remedy. 

Loud & Proper LLC

In addition to 710 Washington St., Samol told the Herald via email that a special permit was issued on Nov. 12, 2025, to Loud & Proper LLC to site a grower at 8 John Walsh Blvd, Suite 401, the same building that houses TKS Sensei's grower. Samol said there is no distancing requirement for grow facilities as they are not public-facing.

Blooming number of cannabis businesses continue to spark pushback

The increase of cannabis businesses in the City of Peekskill has seen ongoing pushback from both city officials and residents, as well as owners of already existing dispensaries who believe the market is being spread too thin.

Part of the grievances over the number of dispensaries is a result of the zoning laws the council created when the city voted to allow dispensaries in 2022. The Town of Cortlandt's zoning code was specific enough that only one site met the requirements. Peekskill uses the state-mandated minimum distance of 500 feet from a park or school, but Cortlandt increased the distance to 1,500 feet.

While the city is unable to expressly limit the number of dispensaries it can have, it can limit the locations they appear in.

On May 26, the Peekskill Common Council unanimously approved zoning text amendments reducing the number of zoning districts where cannabis dispensaries, consumption sites, and delivery services can be sited. 

The proposed changes from the Planning Department limit dispensaries to M districts (M-1, M-2 and M2-B), C-1 districts, and C-2 districts in Peekskill to reduce effects on residential neighborhoods. It also requires applicants be awarded a license from the state before they can receive a special permit from the city.

According to the resolution, the amendment further prohibits licensed dispensaries, consumption sites or delivery sites to be located within 1,000 feet of another licensed dispensary, consumption site or delivery service, unless it receives public convenience and advantage approval from New York State Cannabis Management Board, in keeping with state regulations.