Sphere at National Harbor earns planning board approval, developers share new details

By John Domen

The Sphere at National Harbor will stand just over 300 feet high, slightly taller than the hotel towers at the adjacent MGM casino, and just above the trees when seen from Oxon Hill Manor. The massive globe will glow with an illumination that won’t cause “light pollution … outside of the property itself.”

Those were among the new images and details offered up by developers Thursday for the Prince George’s County Planning Board, which gave preliminary approval to Sphere at National Harbor during a hearing that focused primarily on the physical characteristics within and around the structure.

One of the images showed a structure that’s over 447,000 square feet in total, standing just over 300 feet high from the outside, and 214 feet inside. Four LED video panels would serve as the main signage, which the planning board staff noted would be on par in size with signage approved for MGM.

One image, from the perspective of the southside of National Harbor, shows the Sphere with the Capital Wheel in the background, appearing to be slightly bigger, since it’s closer to the view point.

Developers said brightness emanating from the structure won’t be overwhelming.

“The true and perceived luminance of the exosphere is heavily influenced by the colors in the content being displayed, in addition to some influence from atmospheric conditions, viewing angle, and distance,” according to the staff report presented by Jill Kosack. “The study concludes that while the exosphere will be a visible architectural feature in the area, there will be limited ground illumination beyond the immediate area of the structure, with total illumination falling off beyond 69 feet from the base of the structure.”

County Planning Director James Hunt said community concerns affected plans around the Sphere’s brightness.

“There would not be any type of light pollution coming outside of the property itself,” Hunt said after Thursday’s vote. “In particular, the information that came out indicated that it was actually going to be less intrusive than the light that comes from the sphere in Las Vegas.

“They know this is a different area, different community, so they really, really wanted to cater to this community, so that’s what they’ve done here,” Hunt said.

Those assertions were backed up by the development team, with a promise that the light panels at this venue won’t be as bright as the panels used in Las Vegas.

“Although the proposed development, and particularly the Sphere, is a unique and iconic design, it’s consciously been considered and sited as part of the overall whole of the Beltway parcel and National Harbor,” said Dan Gray, who helped lead the designing of the structure. “Unique, but in harmony with the vision for the larger development of the area.”

Gray promised that from the outside, it would fit in with the overall character of that part of the National Harbor area.

“National Harbor was planned as a regional destination, and it has become one, drawing more than 15 million visitors a year,” said Tony Basalari, vice president of business development at Sphere. “This project builds on that vision.”

The plans also call for a 2,100-space parking garage that would be built nearby, once a site is chosen, along with access for rideshare and shuttle buses expected to help transport visitors to the facility. Staff recommended that the garage be completely constructed before Sphere is allowed to open to the public. There’s also room being allotted for bicyclists to ride and park their bikes at the venue.

An elevated, closed pedestrian walkway would connect Sphere with a piece of land across the ramp to Interstate 295, where rideshare drivers would be able to drop off or pick up visitors attending shows there. Sphere leaders said enclosing the bridge would make it usable no matter what the weather is.

“Sphere is all about being transported through immersive entertainment,” Gray said. “The journey and excitement begin long before and remain long after the show has ended.”

John Peterson, whose father helped create the National Harbor development, told the planning board that there had been “manhy offers on before to do something. And we said , ‘We’re waiting for the right use.’ There’s no better use that we could ever have voted for.”

“If you went around the country and asked any jurisdiction what’s the most sought-after entertainment use in the country, it would be Sphere,” Peterson said. “We have the opportunity to capture that and we’re real excited about that opportunity.”

He said all visitors could get out within 30 minutes of the end of a show.

While the hearing was for a detailed site plan, a few members of the public showed up to testify on the project itself. Some expressed skepticism about the economic promises and the impact the venue will have on nearby neighborhoods, both visually and in terms of traffic. Many of the arguments expressed, including economic impact, focused on areas that don’t fall under the planning board’s purview, and thus couldn’t really be considered.

The board’s discussion was a lot shorter and more focused on the planning board’s purview.

“This brings tears to my eyes. It’s a wonderful opportunity” for the county, planning board Commissioner Gloria Lawlah said after rehashing the history of National Harbor’s development on the banks of the Potomac, including the work put in to lure the Gaylord hotel.

Lawlah described the opposition and protests as healthy and beneficial for the project.

Billy Okoye, another commissioner, told the public their concerns were being taken seriously, but also spoke about how the venue will be something people will enjoy “for generations to come.”

Ultimately it passed the planning board unanimously, on the condition that the parking situation get figured out.

“They’re not going to start anything until after they actually get that parking situation resolved,” Hunt said. “They can’t do anything without that, but that’s going to be one of the next steps.”

The goal is for the parking issue to be resolved by sometime in the spring.

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