ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS -- More than seven years after it was first proposed, LG Electronics' finally broke ground Tuesday on its new North American headquarters.

The company battled environmental groups for years over the height of the building, which opponents said would mar views of the Palisades Cliffs.

But the two sides reached an agreement in 2015 to lower the height of the planned building and on Tuesday, Larry Rockefeller, one of the leaders of the effort against the building, joined the company to celebrate the groundbreaking. Rockefeller, whose family donated the land to preserve the New Jersey Palisades more than 80 years ago, praised the design of the building.

"It really respects the integrity of the [Palisades Interstate] Park and the iconic views, and it will be an outstanding green building," he said.

The 27-acre site on Sylvan Avenue is just down the road from LG's current headquarters. It will stand at five stories on the north and four stories on the south and take up 350,000 square feet. The building will also house an educational science center for local students.

Setback for pipeline through Highlands

LG plans to spend $300 million on the work, John Taylor, a spokesman for the company, said. More than 2,000 construction jobs will result from the project, and the new building will house more than 1,000 employees when it opens in late 2019.

William Cho, CEO of LG Electronics USA, said the company would consolidate workers from other LG locations and hire new people to work in the new office as well.

The new headquarters will fit into Englewood Cliffs' plans to redevelop the area in the southern part of town, Mayor Mario Kranjac said. He added that it would be a "tremendous" boost to the town budget.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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