Whole Foods Development in South Forsyth Moves Into Construction Phase — What We Know Now
Construction is underway at Forsyth Town Center near Ronald Reagan Boulevard. Anchored by Whole Foods, the project will feature restaurants, retailers, and an Audi dealership.
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Drivers passing through the intersection of Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Peachtree Parkway may have noticed that a large stretch of cleared land is no longer just sitting open. What began as site work has moved into a more visible construction phase, as Forsyth Town Center starts to take shape on a prominent 35-acre site directly across from The Collection at Forsyth.
The project, led by Fuqua Development, is planned as a mixed-use retail destination anchored by a Whole Foods Market. Once complete, it is expected to serve not only South Forsyth, but also nearby households in Johns Creek, Suwanee and the broader Peachtree Parkway corridor.
A New Center Taking Shape
The Forsyth Town Center development is not being built as a single-store project centered only around Whole Foods. Instead, plans now point toward a broader mixed-use retail destination that combines grocery, restaurants, national retail tenants, drive-thru concepts, and automotive investment into one of the largest new commercial projects currently underway in South Forsyth.
According to the developer’s project overview, the site was selected for its position along an increasingly important north-south corridor connecting South Forsyth with Johns Creek, Suwanee, and nearby portions of North Fulton and Gwinnett. Ronald Reagan Boulevard continues expanding its role as a regional connector, carrying growing commuter and commercial traffic between residential neighborhoods, retail centers, and major highway corridors.
That positioning is a major part of the project’s long-term appeal. Located near GA-400 and within reach of multiple regional commuter routes, Forsyth Town Center is expected to draw visitors not only from immediate surrounding neighborhoods, but from across the broader North Atlanta suburban corridor as well.
Why Whole Foods Fits Here
Higher-end grocery concepts typically follow a specific combination of trends: sustained population growth, rising household incomes, and long-term residential stability. The Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Peachtree Parkway corridor increasingly checks all three boxes. Within several miles of the development sits one of the fastest-growing concentrations of upper-income suburban households in North Georgia, spanning portions of South Forsyth, Johns Creek, Suwanee, and nearby western Gwinnett.
For many residents, the absence of a Whole Foods in Forsyth County has remained surprisingly noticeable as the area continued adding luxury housing, corporate offices, medical campuses, and destination retail. The nearest stores have long remained in Alpharetta and Duluth, often requiring longer drives through already congested commercial corridors.
The new South Forsyth location would significantly change that dynamic, bringing one of the country’s most recognized premium grocery brands directly into a corridor that increasingly functions as its own regional retail hub rather than simply an extension of neighboring cities.
The project also arrives during a broader reshaping of the local grocery landscape. Nearby, the Lidl project on Bethelview Road — after years of delays and inactivity before its eventual opening — reflected the area’s continued retail expansion.
For residents already using Whole Foods through Amazon, delivery options remain available across much of the region while the South Forsyth location continues moving through construction.
More Than Just a Grocery Store
While a full tenant roster has still not been publicly finalized, the development is already beginning to reveal a much broader mix of uses than a traditional grocery-centered shopping center. Leasing activity and development filings now point to a growing lineup that includes Potbelly Sandwich Works, Whataburger, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and the future Audi Forsyth County dealership being developed by the Baranco Automotive Group.
Plans filed for the project also reference additional drive-thru retail space that many local commercial observers expect could eventually be occupied by a national coffee brand, though no official announcement has yet been made.
Taken together, the emerging tenant mix suggests a layered development built around dining, daily retail activity, commuter convenience, and destination-style commercial traffic rather than a single-anchor shopping plaza. That reflects a broader trend now visible across parts of North Atlanta, where newer suburban retail centers are increasingly designed as mixed-use environments combining restaurants, services, automotive investment, hospitality, and lifestyle-oriented retail into one interconnected corridor.
The automotive component may ultimately become one of the project’s most visible additions. Audi Forsyth County is expected to include a large showroom and service campus positioned directly within the broader development footprint, representing a major expansion move for the Baranco family following the sale of Mercedes-Benz of Buckhead.
Hospitality also continues to emerge as part of the long-term vision surrounding the corridor. The area already offers a growing cluster of nearby hotels around The Collection at Forsyth and along the GA-400 corridor, including Hampton Inn Cumming, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Cumming, Fairfield Inn & Suites Atlanta Cumming, and Home2 Suites by Hilton Cumming Atlanta.
Latest Update, May 2026: Construction Underway, More Details Emerging
Infrastructure work, and vertical development becoming increasingly noticeable to drivers passing through the corridor.
The Whole Foods Market is expected to span roughly 35,000 to 36,000 square feet, placing it in line with other suburban-format stores designed to function both as grocery anchors and broader lifestyle-oriented retail destinations.
While earlier speculation surrounding a possible Portillo’s location appears to have faded, the overall scale and pace of tenant activity continue reinforcing the project’s role as one of the largest retail additions currently underway in South Forsyth.
Despite the accelerated pace of construction, no official opening date for the Whole Foods location has yet been publicly announced.
Who Is Behind the Project
Behind the development is Fuqua Development, an Atlanta-based firm known for building large-scale mixed-use retail centers across the Southeast. Rather than standalone shopping plazas, the company typically develops projects anchored by major tenants—often grocery stores—and surrounds them with restaurants, service businesses, and lifestyle-focused retail.
In the Atlanta region, Fuqua has been involved in projects such as The Battery Atlanta and Town Brookhaven, both designed as destination-style environments where people spend time beyond a single errand. That track record suggests the South Forsyth project is likely to follow a similar model, gradually developing into a broader retail and social hub rather than just a grocery store anchored center.
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