The Prince George’s County Council voted to advance two funding bills Tuesday for a Las Vegas-style Sphere entertainment venue at National Harbor.
One of the sticking points of negotiations has been whether the deal would include a project labor agreement (PLA), essentially a mandate for a minimum number of union jobs.
The County Council advanced the two funding bills for the Sphere without a specific recommendation, leaving time for more to negotiate a PLA.
“Our residents must get the jobs,” Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy said. “Our local and minority businesses must get contracts. And our workers must have strong protections.”
The legislation advanced Tuesday ensures the project will be voted on this council year to avoid delays.
“We understand how important this is and we understand that we have to do it right,” said Prince George’s County Council Chair Krystal Oriadha. “[…] We don’t want to have unintended consequences and language that’s not tight enough that doesn’t represent every single factor.”
One of the biggest pieces of the pie: strong project labor agreements to guarantee a certain number of local union jobs and opportunities to minority owned contractors and businesses.
“Our elected officials are saying some of the right things, but there’s nothing concrete, nothing to actually hold on to, to say, ‘Okay, these are going to be good jobs, these are going to be union jobs,’” said Margaret Sharp with Unite Here Local 23, which represents food service workers.
Sharpe said those details need to be agreed to sooner rather than later.
“I think it could be a great project, if concerns are addressed, and if labor protections are included, but that’s a big if at this point,” Sharpe said.
Braveboy and her administration, who announced the project, shared the important parts of the project, from the labor agreements to a cost breakdown for the entertainment venue.
“We are talking about a 50% minimum for county-based small businesses and minority businesses,” she said. “[…] I understand the importance of having labor protections. […] This is a tax increment finance project.”
“Not any other taxes in the county’s coffers,” said Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Tracy Benjamin. “It is the tax increment on that property that we would use to pay for Sphere or to supplement the cost of Sphere.”
Ronald Dixon is a local small business owner who is the CEO of ideaPlexMD, a media production hub. He said bringing the project to Prince George’s County would benefit his company while creating more development opportunities in the area.
“I’ve always been a small minority-owned business, and oftentimes, we’re not always invited in,” Dixon said. “And so when you have goals like she’s throwing out for this project, it makes it easy for you to see yourself.”
The Sphere Entertainment venue project proposal would require the county and state to bring $200 million in taxpayer money to the table.
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.
