Eli’s Cheesecake Co. announced it is building a 42,000 square-foot addition to its existing facility on the northwest side of Chicago. The company said the increased space will allow for expansion of bakery operations, including the addition of production and packaging lines, warehousing and welfare areas.

Upon completion, the entire facility will encompass 104,000 square feet, including the company’s corporate offices and the Eli’s Cheesecake Bakery Café, which is open to the public.

“Eli’s Cheesecake is known for having the best cheesecake in town for good reason,” said Lori E. Lightfoot, mayor of Chicago. “This expansion will allow them to enhance that well-earned reputation by giving them the capacity to put out even more delicious treats and create new ones in the future. I’m excited to see Eli’s Cheesecake continue to grow their business and know this new space will provide them with many new and lucrative opportunities once completed.”

The expansion team includes Architect Michael Aragona of Aragona Architects — the original architect for Eli’s first Bakery in 1996 — Summit Design as general contractor and Joel Friedland of Brit Properties as the owner representative.

The company said this project will meet sustainability initiatives set by the city by exceeding the energy code and providing landscape methods to achieve 60% native or adapted species.