Conservationist Larry Rockefeller has opposed LG's plans to build its 143-foot tall headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
The 143-foot tall building is said to stand higher than the tree line of the Palisades and LG is moving ahead with the project even with the pending appeal of a lawsuit brought by the conservation groups. Rockefeller and other conservationist groups claim that they want to stop the company from making its headquarters as it will destroy the view of the Palisades from within the park and also from the Cloisters museum across the Hudson River.
"How come LG doesn't get it yet? Is it corporate arrogance? Is it cultural insensitivity?" said Larry Rockefeller, whose grandfather John D. Rockefeller Jr. donated 700 acres of land along the Hudson River to preserve the New Jersey Palisades. "They aspire to be a good corporate citizen but you can't be a good corporate citizen and harm a century of conservation."
LG spokesman John Taylor said that the company is in agreement that the Palisades is an iconic part of New Jersey; however, its new headquarters will not harm the Palisades in any way. Taylor said that the 27 acre building site is around a quarter mile from the Palisades Cliff and is also not on the park property. Taylor also added that other buildings can also be seen from Manhattan nudging above the tree line.
The South Korean company will be investing $300 million to build the zonal-headquarters. LG claims that the construction of the building will create 2,200 jobs over the next three years. The new headquarters is expected to have around 1,600 employees working by 2020. The company also said that redesigning the building and lowering the height will cost a lot of money and at the same time delay the construction work.
Englewood Cliffs Mayor Joseph Parisi Jr. said that LG officials have been "wonderful corporate citizens and good neighbors" and the controversy has been exaggerated.
Parisi Jr. also said that he does not think that the building will have any effect of the Palisades.
