For two years, the argument about blanket rezoning was about the future: how much housing it would add, what it would do to an existing street, and whether a bungalow lot would be worth more to a builder than to a family.
The repeal took effect on August 4, and the useful questions have changed. What did owners actually apply to build? Is the rowhouse approved down the block still going ahead? Is anything you were told in 2025 still true?
Between the City’s permit records and its bylaws, most of that can be answered. The City publishes its development and building permit applications as open data, with the community, what the owner applied to build and where the file stands today. So I went through them for the established southwest, from August 2020 to September 11, 2026: the two years blanket rezoning was in force, the four years before it for comparison, and the weeks since it ended.
What changed on August 4
Here is the short version, taken from the bylaws and the Council minutes rather than the summaries.
The 2024 rezoning is gone for almost every lot. Blanket rezoning took effect on August 6, 2024, and moved roughly 311,000 parcels into the R-CG, R-G and H-GO districts. On December 15, 2025, Council adopted a notice of motion directing the City to prepare a repeal. The public hearing started March 23, 2026, and Council gave the repeal bylaw all three readings on April 8, each by 12 votes to 3. By August 4, 2026, when the repeal was fully in effect, parcels had gone back to the district they had before. The City says that covers 99 per cent of properties.
Some lots kept R-CG. Council’s test exempted a parcel if a development permit, building permit or subdivision under R-CG, R-G or H-GO was approved before August 4, if one of those applications was submitted before first reading on April 8, or if the owner had received a Council-approved rezoning they applied for after August 6, 2024. In applying it, the City’s implementation plan kept the zoning through a permit only where the permit was for something the old district does not allow, such as a rowhouse. A second bylaw that took effect on August 4 exempted roughly 250 more properties that qualified between January 1 and April 8.
An exemption can still be lost. Council directed the City not to extend the development permits behind that second group of exemptions. It also directed the City to bring bylaws to Council twice a year that would return the old zoning where one of those developments does not start on time, or where an exempting permit is cancelled, withdrawn or overturned on appeal. In most districts, a Calgary development permit has to start within two years of approval.
R-CG itself changed, for the lots that still have it. Maximum height dropped from 11 to 10 metres, the top lot-coverage tier dropped to 55 per cent, and zero-lot-line side setbacks were removed. Density stayed at 75 units per hectare, which on a standard 50 by 120 foot lot typically allows up to four homes. A proposal to cut it to 60 was refused in July.
Suites have their own rules now. As of August 5, a secondary suite is a permitted use in every low-density district except R-CGex. A backyard suite is permitted in R-G and discretionary in the other low-density districts apart from R-CGex, which allows neither suite. A lot can have one or the other, not both.
What owners applied to build in the southwest
The City classifies most communities by when they were built. For this I used the southwest communities it classes as inner city or as built in the 1950s through the 1990s: places like Killarney, Glenbrook, Haysboro and Oakridge. I left out newer communities and the Centre City, because the question here is what owners applied to build where a house already stood.
The two rows in the table below come from two different permits. A rowhouse or townhouse in these communities always needs a development permit, so development permit applications count every project. A new single-detached house does not always need one, so for houses the complete count is building permits, which every new house needs.
| New construction applied for | Aug 2020 to 2022 | Aug 2022 to 2024 | Aug 2024 to 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rowhouse and townhouse projects (development permits) | 31 | 95 | 280 |
| Single-detached houses (building permits) | 382 | 369 | 373 |
Applications in the southwest quadrant’s inner-city, 1950s, 1960s/1970s and 1980s/1990s communities, by date applied. Each period starts August 6. Blanket rezoning was in force for the last one. The rowhouse and townhouse row includes other grade-oriented multi-unit buildings. Revisions to earlier applications and additions to existing homes are excluded. Source: City of Calgary open data, retrieved September 14, 2026.
Applications for new rowhouse and townhouse projects tripled under blanket rezoning, from 95 to 280. They had also tripled in the two years before it, from 31 to 95. The R-CG district existed before 2024, and owners were already rezoning individual lots to use it. I can tell you what happened while blanket rezoning was in force. I cannot tell you how much of it blanket rezoning caused, and this record cannot tell anyone that.
Building permits for new single-detached houses barely moved: 382, then 369, then 373.
Across all of Calgary’s established communities, comparing the same two periods (August 2022 to 2024 and August 2024 to 2026), applications for new rowhouse and townhouse projects more than doubled, from 304 to 813, while building permits for new single-detached houses went from 807 to 831.
These are applications, not homes, and the two rows cannot be compared home for home. A single rowhouse application can cover several homes, and on a standard 50 by 120 foot lot the R-CG density limit typically allows up to four. Building permit records do carry unit counts for rowhouses and townhouses, but not consistently enough to add up, so I have not tried. The City’s own figure, from its March 2026 report, was that over 4,500 units with approved development permits had been enabled citywide since blanket rezoning took effect, with 784 under construction and 64 complete. That count includes single-detached, semi-detached, rowhouse and townhouse homes.
Where it landed
The 280 applications were not spread evenly. These are the southwest communities with at least five new rowhouse and townhouse applications under blanket rezoning.
| Community | Aug 2022 to 2024 | Aug 2024 to 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Glenbrook | 6 | 32 |
| Killarney/Glengarry | 25 | 31 |
| Glendale | 9 | 19 |
| Kingsland | 5 | 19 |
| Haysboro | 2 | 18 |
| Spruce Cliff | 4 | 18 |
| Richmond | 3 | 15 |
| Shaganappi | 6 | 14 |
| Windsor Park | 6 | 13 |
| North Glenmore Park | 6 | 12 |
| Rosscarrock | 5 | 10 |
| Altadore | 6 | 9 |
| Glamorgan | 3 | 9 |
| Wildwood | 1 | 9 |
| Bankview | 2 | 6 |
| Meadowlark Park | 0 | 6 |
| South Calgary (Marda Loop) | 2 | 6 |
| Southwood | 0 | 5 |
| Westgate | 1 | 5 |
Same source and definitions. Community names are the City’s. Communities with fewer than five applications in the blanket-rezoning window are not listed.
Glenbrook had the most, 32, up from 6. Killarney/Glengarry had 25 in the two years before blanket rezoning, more than any other southwest community, and 31 during it. Haysboro went from 2 to 18, and Spruce Cliff from 4 to 18. Altadore went from 6 to 9.
What happened to the 280 applications
If one of these is on your block, the repeal does not cancel an application that qualified for an exemption.
| Status in the City’s records, September 2026 | Applications |
|---|---|
| Released | 103 |
| Pending Release | 96 |
| Cancelled | 33 |
| Hold | 26 |
| Pending Appeal | 11 |
| Revoked | 5 |
| Refused | 3 |
| In Circulation | 2 |
| Under Review | 1 |
The 280 new-construction applications made in the established southwest between August 6, 2024 and August 3, 2026. Status labels are the City’s, as recorded in its open data, and the City does not define what each one means.
Once a permit’s conditions are met, the City releases it and the applicant can apply for a building permit. The City does not define “Pending Release” in its data, but its Development Map shows those files as “Approved”, and shows “Hold” files as “Under Review”.
The City’s records show an appeal board outcome for 29 of the 280. Eight of those ended with the permit refused or revoked. In the other 21, the approval stood, in some cases with its conditions changed. Another 11 are recorded as “Pending Appeal”, with no appeal board outcome recorded yet.
Not every approval can be appealed. Under section 685(3) of the Municipal Government Act, a permit for a permitted use cannot be appealed unless the bylaw was relaxed, varied or misinterpreted. A discretionary use, such as a townhouse in R-CG, is advertised and can be appealed.
When the applications came in
From August 2024 until Council adopted the repeal motion on December 15, 2025, applications for new rowhouse and townhouse projects in the established southwest came in at about 12 per 30 days. Between that motion and first reading on April 8, 2026, the pace rose to about 20 per 30 days. December 2025 was the busiest single month of the two years, with 36. In the 117 days after first reading, there were 8.
From August 4 to September 11 there was one. New applications in these communities since the repeal list R-C1 and R-C2 again, the districts most R-CG lots went back to.
If you are buying in an established southwest community
Check the lot, not the listing. A listing, a feature sheet or an article from 2025 that says a lot is zoned R-CG is probably out of date. The City’s “Find your land use district” tool on calgary.ca shows the current district for an address.
Check the block. The Development Map at developmentmap.calgary.ca shows development permit and rezoning applications with their status. An approved rowhouse two doors down that qualified for an exemption can still be built. A development permit generally has two years to start, and some can be extended, though not the ones behind the second group of exemptions.
If you are buying to redevelop, the math is different now. A lot that went back to its old district needs Council to approve a land use redesignation before a rowhouse can be built on it. That means a public hearing, a City application fee ($2,779 in the City’s March 2026 report), and an outcome nobody can promise you. Budget the time and the risk before you write the offer, not after.
A basement suite is the easier suite. A secondary suite is a permitted use in every low-density district except R-CGex. A backyard suite is discretionary outside R-G (and not allowed in R-CGex): a notice of the application has to be posted, it can be refused, and an approval can be appealed. You cannot have both on one lot.
If you are selling
If your marketing says R-CG, confirm it before you list. Most lots that were rezoned to R-CG in 2024 went back to R-C1 or R-C2. If yours kept its zoning because a permit was approved, say so accurately, and know the date the development has to start by.
An approved permit is part of what you are selling. A buyer who wants to build will ask what was approved, whether it was released, whether it can be extended, and when it has to start. Have the permit number and those dates ready.
Treat any precise number for what the repeal did to your lot’s value with caution. A few weeks of sales is not enough to isolate it, and the sales that would show it are a small slice of a market that is moving for other reasons. I would be suspicious of a precise figure from anyone right now, including me.
Common questions
Did Calgary repeal blanket rezoning?
Yes. City Council gave three readings to Bylaw 9P2026 on April 8, 2026, each by a vote of 12 to 3, and the repeal took effect on August 4, 2026. Parcels that were rezoned in 2024 went back to the district they had before. The City says that covers 99 per cent of properties. Council’s test let a parcel keep its R-CG, R-G or H-GO zoning if a development permit, building permit or subdivision under that zoning was approved before August 4, if one of those applications was submitted before first reading on April 8, or if the owner had received a Council-approved rezoning they applied for after August 6, 2024. In applying it, the City kept the zoning through a permit only where the permit was for something the old district does not allow, such as a rowhouse.
Can my neighbour still build a rowhouse after the repeal?
Only if their lot kept its zoning or they go through a rezoning. A lot that was exempt, for example because a development permit for a rowhouse was approved before August 4 or applied for before April 8, can still be built under those rules. A lot that reverted needs Council to approve a land use redesignation first, which means a public hearing and a City application fee, before a development permit and a building permit. The quickest way to see what is planned near a home is to look the block up on the City’s Development Map.
How many rowhouse and townhouse applications were there under blanket rezoning in southwest Calgary?
In the established southwest communities, meaning the inner city and the communities built from the 1950s through the 1990s, there were 280 development permit applications for new rowhouse, townhouse and similar grade-oriented projects between August 6, 2024 and August 3, 2026. As of September 2026, 103 had been released and 96 were recorded as “Pending Release”, which the City’s Development Map displays as “Approved”. Thirty-three were cancelled, three refused and five revoked. These are applications, not homes, and one application can cover several units. Citywide, the City’s March 2026 report said over 4,500 units with approved development permits had been enabled since blanket rezoning took effect, with 784 under construction and 64 complete. That count includes single-detached, semi-detached, rowhouse and townhouse homes.
Can I still build a secondary suite or a backyard suite in Calgary?
A secondary suite, such as a basement suite, is a permitted use in all of Calgary’s low-density residential districts except R-CGex, under a bylaw that took effect on August 5, 2026. A backyard suite is a permitted use only in the R-G district and a discretionary use in the others apart from R-CGex, which allows neither suite, so the City can refuse it and an approval can be appealed. A parcel can have a secondary suite or a backyard suite, not both, and a backyard suite needs one parking stall.
How do I check a Calgary property's zoning after the repeal?
Use the City’s “Find your land use district” tool on calgary.ca and enter the address. Then look the block up on the Development Map at developmentmap.calgary.ca, which shows development permit and rezoning applications nearby with their status. Do not rely on a listing, a feature sheet or an article written before August 2026 to tell you a lot is zoned R-CG, because almost all of the lots rezoned in 2024 have gone back to their old zoning.
Wondering what your home is worth right now?
I will look at what comparable homes near you have actually sold for and give you an honest read on your price.
