Prince George's leaders work to ensure local workforce is part of ‘Sphere' proposal

As the 2026 session for the Prince George's County Council gets closer to the end, leaders are working to ensure one of the county’s most significant project proposals is thoroughly reviewed.

Tuesday night, county leaders hosted a listening session to hear residents' concerns, questions and comments about the proposed Sphere project. Including local workers in the project is top of mind.

The Sphere Entertainment venue project proposal would require the county and state to bring $200 million in taxpayer money to the table, an important reason why Council Chair Krystal Oriadha said the council is taking the project seriously.

“We’re looking at it with a fine-tooth comb to make sure that it makes sense, anytime we’re going to use tax-payer dollars that it has to make sure that it actually benefits the residents here,” she said. “[…] There’s an investment from the county, and so we have a stake in understanding that it’s going to reap benefits for residents of Prince George’s County.”

The project would provide 2,500 jobs during the construction phase and more than 4,750 jobs once operational, according to Sphere Entertainment.

The billion-dollar venue would hold 6,000 people and would open within three to four years. The orb would offer 360-degree visuals and could serve as another concert venue.

For Prince George's leaders, they’re working to ensure a strong local workforce is a part of the project equation.

“The workforce right here in Prince George’s County is used on this project and that it’s a partnership with labor, meaning that they’re going to have a prevailing wage, healthcare, the ability to organize,” Oriadha said. “[…] We want to make sure that our workforce wins and our businesses, especially our minority businesses here in Prince George’s County, win,”

Oriadha has called for a strong project labor agreement guaranteeing a certain number of union jobs.

“At the end of the day, project labor agreements are the only real way to ensure that local Prince George's County residents don't just get good one-time jobs on this project, but get long-lasting careers,” said Greg Akerman, president of the Baltimore-DC Metro Building Trades Council.

The Banner reported at a hearing Monday night that Sphere project leaders would not commit to a mandate for union jobs but said they are union friendly and that would continue with this project.

After Tuesday's night listening session, the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee is expected to vote on the sphere proposal next Tuesday before it’s introduced to the full county council.