The unanimous vote was an unexpected show of support for the project, which had exposed political fault lines as it moved from the back rooms of the John A. Wilson Building to a splashy public rollout last year and on to the legislative machinations of the council.
The deal represents a triumph for outgoing Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D), who unveiled the idea more than a year ago. It also placed the spotlight on Mayor-elect Muriel E. Bowser (D), who rallied the entire council behind a previously controversial proposal and signaled that, as mayor, she plans to continue promoting the kind of booming development that has characterized the city in recent years.
The plan is expected to cost the District at least $150 million in direct investment and an additional $43 million in forgone tax revenue, and it comes less than a decade after the same body only narrowly agreed to build a far more expensive major league baseball stadium in the same area of the city.
