Waymo and Sphere Set Sights on Virginia-area Expansion

WHO:

The Washington Post - Prince George’s County Council, County Executive Aisha Braveboy (D), Sphere Entertainment Co., county workers, and labor unions were involved in the Sphere National Harbor proposal.

WTOP News - Prince George’s County Council approved the proposal; County Executive Aisha Braveboy supported it. Sphere Entertainment Co. will operate the venue. WTOP’s Kyle Cooper contributed to the report.

WTOP News - Union members criticized aspects of the deal; the labor peace agreement allows union groups to organize workers once the Sphere opens.

WHAT:

The Washington Post - The council voted 8-0 to authorize up to $215 million in special obligation bonds to help build Sphere National Harbor, a 6,000-seat entertainment venue.

WTOP News - The 8-0 vote authorized up to $215 million in special obligation bonds for the venue and surrounding complex; Sphere Entertainment Co. would gradually repay the bonds to the county.

The Washington Post - The venue is estimated to cost approximately $1.4 billion to build and generate $63 million in annual county taxes once operational, according to a county economic impact report.

WTOP News - The county will build a $40 million parking garage and provide $130 million in bond financing, to be repaid through facility-generated tax revenues. The state contributed more than $13 million.

WTOP News - The project is expected to create thousands of jobs.

The Washington Post - Braveboy said Sphere Entertainment had never entered into a project labor agreement and did not do so for this project. She said, “everyone, including the unions we talked to, expect to work on this project, and they will.”

WHERE:

The Washington Post - The venue, named Sphere National Harbor, is planned for National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

WTOP News - The Maryland Sphere would be the second massive glowing orb operated by Sphere Entertainment Co.; the company operates an entertainment arena in Las Vegas.

WHEN:

WTOP News - Work on the site could begin in the next couple of months, and the venue is supposed to open in early 2030.

WTOP News - The Washington Commanders plan to abandon Northwest Stadium in 2030.

WHY:

The Washington Post - County leaders backed the project with the expectation that it would generate $63 million in annual taxes once operational.

WTOP News - Braveboy argued the Sphere would generate more than triple the tax revenue produced by the defunct Six Flags amusement park and Northwest Stadium.

HOW:

The Washington Post - The county council authorized special obligation bonds to help finance construction. A labor peace agreement covers workers who will work at the Sphere once it is operational, but the project does not have a project labor agreement.

WTOP News - The labor peace agreement allows unions to organize workers once the venue opens but excludes protections for construction workers.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 22:13 UTC)

Prince George’s County Council unanimously approved up to $215 million in bond financing for Sphere National Harbor, a planned 6,000-seat entertainment venue in Maryland. The roughly $1.4 billion project is expected to generate $63 million in annual county taxes and create thousands of jobs, while Sphere Entertainment would gradually repay the bonds through taxes generated by the complex. Union members criticized the deal because it lacks a construction labor agreement, though a labor peace agreement would let unions organize venue workers after it opens, which is expected in early 2030.