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.

The decision comes after months of community outreach, debate over the project’s impact and concerns raised by labor unions.

In early October, the Council advanced legislation to create the funding framework for the Sphere, but without the project labor agreement (PLA) some unions and council members pushed for.

The Council forwarded legislation for $215 million in bonds to be issued for the billion-dollar project. County Executive Aisha Braveboy has said the Sphere will bring $63 million annually in tax revenue.

The project nearly derailed over attempts to include a PLA, which would have required union labor during construction. Some officials said Sphere wouldn’t make the deal if it involved a PLA.

“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.”

The Council passed labor peace agreement and community benefit agreement amendments.

Council members and the county executive said unions would continue to be involved, as well as small and minority-owned businesses in the county.