National Harbor Sphere: Prince George's Co. Council gives final vote of approval
The National Harbor skyline could soon be in for a drastic change. The Prince George’s County Council has approved the proposed Sphere venue, clearing a major hurdle for the entertainment project.
Eight of the Council’s 11 members voted in favor of the billion-dollar project Tuesday after months of community outreach, debate over the project’s impact and concerns raised by labor unions. Three members, Vice Chair Eric Olson, Tom Dernoga and Wanika Fisher, were not present for the vote.
“Today marks a turning point for the economic future of our county,” County Executive Aisha Braveboy said at a news conference after the Council’s vote. “Today, Prince George’s County enters the global stage and redefines itself as a destination for investment, entertainment, technology and innovation.”
Braveboy said the Sphere will bring $63 million annually in tax revenue, which is triple the amount of what the county is losing with the closure of Six Flags and the Washington Commanders’ return to D.C. in a few years.
The Sphere is projected to have a $1.3 billion impact on the county and a $1.5 billion impact on the state, Braveboy said.
“We are really talking about tremendous revenues that will be coming to Prince George’s County and the state of Maryland,” she said.
Council Chair Krystal Oriadha said Sphere will advance the county beyond a bedroom community.
“Housing’s a part of the conversation, but we have to think about entertainment and industry, and how do we bring both of those to Prince George’s County. And I think this opportunity is one that really looks at bringing us to be a destination,” Oriadha said.
Legislation the Council passed Tuesday authorizes $215 million in bonds to be issued for the development. Those funds would be paid back with revenue generated by the entertainment destination.
The project nearly derailed over attempts to include a project labor agreement PLA, which would have required union labor during construction. Some officials said Sphere wouldn’t make the deal if it involved a PLA.
County leaders reached a compromise by adding separate agreements to benefit the community and labor as well as minority-owned and small businesses.
“It was actually a major compromise, I feel, because it was so far from project labor agreement,” Council member Ed Burroughs previously said. “Essentially, we trying to split the baby — provide some guarantee for labor while not forcing the project labor agreement.”
Council members and the county executive said unions would continue to be involved, as well as small and minority-owned businesses in the county.
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