City of Calgary celebrates record-setting housing development in 2025, but recognizes challenges remain

The City of Calgary marked another record on the housing front last year.

In 2025, nearly 28,000 homes were granted occupancy, more than double the 10-year annual average of just over 13,000, according to the city.

It says Calgary remains in a strong position to provide new units for residents even has the market has cooled across the country.

By year end, the city approved 23,600 homes through development permits and 25,700 homes through building permits.

“This success is no accident,” said Teresa Goldstein, director of community planning with the city. “Delivering housing at this scale is not about a single year — it’s about sustained, long-term system change. We have laid a strong foundation to be Canada’s housing engine through a decade of planning process improvements and collaboration with industry. 

“The progress we saw in 2025 positions Calgary to better absorb future growth while supporting affordability and livability across the city.” 

Calgary is also seeing an increase in non-market housing starts; 1,800 development permit approvals were granted in 2025 for non-market builds. The city says that number is five times the average annual volume.

“These results are an indicator that The City’s programs and investments to increase the supply of non-market housing are enabling projects to move forward,” said chief housing officer Reid Hendry. “While we still have lots of work to do to achieve our goal of 3,000 non-market homes per year, we’re starting to see what’s possible when all orders of government, the development industry and non-profit partners work together to deliver the homes Calgarians urgently need.”  

The inventory of secondary suites in Calgary also continues to increase. Nearly 6,200 secondary suites were granted occupancy last year, up from 5,000 in 2024 and 3,000 in 2023. These new builds bring the total number of registered suites in Calgary to 23,500.

Downtown to residential conversions have also played a big part in increasing Calgary’s housing supply, according to the city. Five projects finished in the downtown core last year, adding 490 homes.

Despite this good news, city officials say challenges remain when it comes to housing affordability. They say ongoing collaborations with the development industry, non-profit housing providers, and other levels of government are essential in maintaining the momentum and adequately responding to changing housing needs and market conditions.

“While we continue to be Canada’s housing engine, we recognize that tens of thousands of Calgarians are still struggling with affordability and inadequate housing for their needs,” said Hendry. “In 2026 and beyond, we are committed to continuing to lean in and meet this challenge head on, so that every Calgarian has a safe, stable and affordable place to call home.”