NORTHAMPTON — After years of going without one, it appears a Chipotle Mexican Grill is finally headed to Northampton.

Chipotle, expected to be completed in the late spring to early summer, will be located at 301 King St., the site of a former Papa Gino’s restaurant that closed in 2017 and has been vacant since. The property is owned by the Colvest Group, which also owns other buildings such as the Aldi’s supermarket and Starbucks locations in the nearby Northampton Crossing Plaza.

Frank Colaccino, president of the Colvest Group, said that Chipotle approached the group about becoming a tenant of the roughly 3,000-square-foot property about six months ago.

“It met their site and demographic criteria,” Colaccino said of the property. “There’s traffic generators [in the plaza] that they’re going to look to seed off of.”

Colaccino added that once completed, the restaurant will look to hire between 25 and 30 people to run the establishment. Due the location having already been a former food location, the building will simply be retrofit to accommodate the restaurant’s needs rather than be torn down completely.

According to site plans and zoning permit applications for the property, improvements will include repaving the existing parking lot, interior and exterior renovations and the addition of a back patio for outdoor dining during the warmer months of the year.

A pioneer in the fast casual dining business and headquartered in California, Chipotle has over 3,500 locations across the United States, with 72 across Massachusetts. Once it completed, it will become just the second Chipotle in Hampshire County, with the other location off Russell Street in Hadley having opened more than a decade ago.

“It’s a popular place,” Colaccino said of the restaurant brand. “I think the people of Northampton will really enjoy it.”

Despite the name-brand recognition, Chipotle can expect some competition with fast-casual burritos, with local chain Bueno Y Sano having a location in Northampton’s downtown just a mile away and another spot on Damon Road called Hot Head Burritos.

Other famous brand restaurants located along King Street include McDonald’s, KFC, Taco Bell and Burger King.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.