Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reports new home starts in 2024 in Calgary reached a record for the third year in a row, with construction beginning on 7,100 single-family homes; 2,252 semi-detached homes, 3,512 row/townhomes and 11,505 apartments for a total of 24,369 starts.
The City of Calgary is taking some of the credit for the records, referencing in a statement its building permit department that issued 18,168 residential building permits in 2024, including 5,341permits for single-family homes; 1,842 for semi-detached; 3,343 for row/townhomes; 7,312 apartment permits; as well as 3,787 permits for secondary suites. All categories of home permits increased in 2024 over 2023.
The difference between permit and starts is because it can take months, and sometimes longer, that construction starts after permits are issued.
“Last year we issued the largest number of permits for townhouse, rowhouse and semi-detached units ever, as well as the most single detached home permits since 2006,” says Ulrik Seward, chief building official for the City of Calgary.
“These numbers show that Calgary’s housing landscape is growing and changing, demonstrating the progress that industry and the City have made in the past year towards increasing the housing supply.”
Reid Hendry, Chief Housing Officer for the City of Calgary also sees these numbers as a move in the right direction to meet the diverse housing needs of Calgarians.
“The increases in residential building permits are an early indicator that policies like citywide rezoning and programs like the Secondary Suite Incentive are helping us meet the objectives set out in the city’s housing strategy,” says Reid Hendry, chief housing officer for the city.
“When we make building homes easier, overall supply is increased, improving choice and affordability for all Calgarians.”
“While policy changes and incentives are one way the city removes barriers to building, working with the building industry allows for opportunities to streamline processes and improve customer experience.”
Some new policy changes include:
Expedited Review for Builders, a program that allows quick release on permits for pre-approved home models in greenfield communities for qualified builders.
Online Applications for Land Use, Outline Plans and Road Closures: modernizes the system for submissions, allowing applicants to use ApplyCentral to submit, track and pay for land use, outline plans and road Closures completely online.
Inspection Booking Portal: Allows homeowners, building professionals or tradespeople to book and manage their city inspections easily from anywhere at any time.