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Johns Creek committee advises against selling naming rights for Newtown amphitheater, narrows name options
Summary
The ACE advisory committee recommended to the mayor and council that the Newtown Park amphitheater should not be monetized and produced a short list of preferred names — including Founders (as a concept), Towne Green, Freedom and Liberty Landing — to present to council.
The ACE advisory committee in Johns Creek recommended that the city not pursue selling naming rights for the Newtown Park amphitheater and narrowed its preferred names for council consideration.
The committee debated sponsorship and naming rights during a discussion prompted by advance homework on the venue. S6 moved to place a vote on monetization and S2 seconded; after discussion the group signaled a clear direction against monetizing the amphitheater and prepared to report that guidance to the mayor and council. The committee did not record a formal roll-call tally in the transcript; the chair indicated the group’s direction by voice/hand vote.
City staff advised the group on the mechanics and likely scale of any naming-rights program. S3, speaking as city staff, said the council has not adopted a sponsorship policy and noted that “the 2026 number is over $490,000 towards the special events that we put on throughout the course of the year,” arguing that naming-rights revenue would be modest relative to the city’s events budget and could be structured in tiers if council chose to pursue it.
Committee members who opposed monetization argued that naming the venue for civic concepts (for example, honoring founders, veterans or first responders) preserves the venue’s public character. S6 moved the motion to take the question to a vote; S2 and several members voiced opposition to monetization during subsequent comments.
On names, committee brainstorming and iterative voting reduced a long list of suggestions to a top set for council: the concept of “Founders,” Towne Green (selected in a final single-choice round), Freedom and Liberty Landing. Members proposed other options earlier in the process — including Johns Creek Amphitheater, Chattahoochee Amphitheater and names honoring first responders or veterans — but the group used ranked hand votes to narrow the field to three finalists and signaled it will forward the shortlist and its policy preference to the mayor and council.
The committee’s recommendation is advisory. S3 told members the council would determine final policy, set any financial parameters and could accept, alter or reject the committee’s guidance.
The committee agreed staff will report the top name choices and the committee’s position on monetization to the mayor and city council for their decision.
