The Windward Week – September 21st 2026

Welcome to the Windward Week, your go-to source for local news, community updates, and market insights right here in Windward, Alpharetta. Here’s what’s making headlines in our neighborhood this week.

New Gluten-Free Mexican Kitchen Opens in Downtown Alpharetta
Downtown Alpharetta added another restaurant to its lineup this month. Amasa Mexican Kitchen opened on September 18 at 15 Academy Street, in the space that used to house Jekyll Brewing. The team behind it also runs Buena Vida Tapas and Chicheria Mexican Kitchen, and the new spot serves a fully gluten free menu built around seafood and Mexican classics, along with a tequila program. It is the kind of addition that keeps City Center feeling like a real neighborhood rather than just a strip of shops. When buyers ask me why downtown Alpharetta holds its value, this is part of the answer. The restaurant scene keeps expanding, and that keeps people walking, eating, and staying close to home instead of driving somewhere else for a night out.

Scarecrow Harvest Returns to Downtown Alpharetta for Its 21st Year
Alpharetta’s Scarecrow Harvest is back for its 21st year, and it is one of the best examples of why families choose this city over other suburbs. Starting October 4 and running through November 1, downtown will fill with more than 150 scarecrows built by local schools, businesses, nonprofits, and neighborhood groups. This year there is a Scarecrow Puzzle Hunt woven into the display, so it works as an actual outing and not just something to drive past. I bring this up every fall because it says something real about the city. A tradition like this only survives 21 years if the community keeps showing up for it. That is the kind of detail that matters when someone is trying to decide between Alpharetta and a dozen towns that all look the same on paper.

Wire and Wood Songwriters Festival Adds a Seventh Stage for Its 13th Year
The Wire and Wood Songwriters Festival returns to downtown Alpharetta October 9 and 10, and this year it added a seventh stage to handle the growth. More than 40 songwriters will play across genres, from indie rock and soul to folk and bluegrass, all within walking distance in the middle of downtown. Thirteen years in, this festival has become one of the clearest signs of how much downtown Alpharetta has grown as a place people actually want to spend a weekend. I mention events like this to clients who are weighing Alpharetta against other North Fulton cities. A festival that keeps adding stages instead of shrinking tells you something about the foot traffic and the demand downtown still has.

Worth Noting: Construction Has Started on The Gathering at South Forsyth
Worth a mention this week even though it is not in our immediate area. Construction has started on The Gathering at South Forsyth, the entertainment district planned around an 18,000 seat arena, built to help bring an NHL team to Atlanta. Site grading began earlier this fall and ground work is expected to run into early next year, with arena construction to follow if the league awards a franchise. The project sits off GA-400 in Forsyth County, north of Windward and outside Alpharetta, so it will not directly touch our immediate market. But at a reported two to three billion dollars, it is one of the largest developments planned anywhere along the GA-400 corridor, and it is worth watching over the next few years as it moves forward.

As always, if you have questions about the Windward real estate market or are thinking about buying or selling, I’m just a call or email away.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Robbins
Century 21 Connect Realty
404.491.0432
jon.r@c21connectrealty.com