Glacier Ridge architectural guidelines: sizes, setbacks, materials

Glacier Ridge's community design guidelines, dated January 2023, set a minimum of 1,000 sq ft for a bungalow and 1,700 sq ft for a two storey on an R-G lot with an attached garage, and a front setback of at least 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) on every lot (Anthem, Glacier Ridge guidelines, January 2023, p. 17). Anthem also bans stucco in Glacier Ridge and asks for pot lights in the soffits of homes on collector streets. The file name says Neighbourhood 1, so treat it as that neighbourhood's rulebook.

What are the minimum house sizes in Glacier Ridge?

They're set by zoning and garage position. Here's the table from page 17:

Note: Anthem's guideline minimums in square feet as printed; metric is our conversion. These aren't City of Calgary rules, and the booklet doesn't say what the area includes.

The gap between bungalow and two storey is wider here than in Pine Creek or D'Arcy. In Pine Creek a front-garage bungalow needs 1,250 sq ft and a two storey 1,500. Glacier Ridge asks less of the bungalow (1,000) and more of the two storey (1,700). A two storey just under 1,700 sq ft that would pass in Pine Creek won't pass here.

How far back does a Glacier Ridge house sit?

At least 4.5 m from the front line, with the rear yard depending on whether the lot has a lane. All of these are measured from the foundation and exclude stairs, cantilevers, landings and decks unless noted. They apply on top of the City's own setbacks.

Glacier Ridge's guideline setbacks, January 2023:

Note: page 17 of the January 2023 booklet. The 1.0 m corner figure is smaller than the 1.2 m interior minimum; confirm it with Anthem before you rely on it.

The 3.0 m cap on combined side yards is the rule that catches people. On a lot with 1.2 m on each side, only 0.6 m (2 ft) of slack is left. Anthem's suggested fix is to widen or offset the garage.

What do Glacier Ridge garages and entries look like?

Unlike Anthem's Pine Creek and D'Arcy booklets, this one sets no 6 ft entry minimum and no 20 ft garage minimum. The garage rules are about height and detail (Anthem, January 2023, p. 19):

• Garage doors are at most 8 ft (2.4 m) high, with no more than 24 in (610 mm) from the top of the door to the soffit unless you add detailing.
• Doors are painted to match the house or trim, or stained.
• A garage side wall leading to the entry that runs more than 13 ft (4.0 m) from the garage front to the house or deck needs a window, masonry, battens or columns.
• Homes without a full front porch get pre-cast front stairs; porch stairs are painted to match the trim.
• Laned lots need a rear parking pad that meets City bylaws, gravel at minimum and concrete recommended, shown on the plot plan.

For the garage itself, the City's stall sizes are in our garage size guide.

Which materials does Glacier Ridge allow?

Fewer than most Calgary communities. The material rules on pages 21 to 23:

• No stucco, in any colour or finish.
• Fibre cement (Hardie Board) is strongly recommended now and will be required as the main cladding in later phases.
• Vinyl siding only in dark colours and a lap profile; Dutch lap isn't accepted.
• Roofing is asphalt shingles in dark greys, blacks and browns, except Modern Farmhouse homes, which may use seam metal.
• Masonry on the garage starts no more than 4 in from the driveway and 8 in from finished grade, and returns at least 2 ft at corners.
• Columns are at least 10 by 10 in, and foundation parging is required on all four sides.

Homes on collector streets need soffit lighting: at least two pot lights in every upper soffit and any soffit over the garage, with corner lots on a collector lit on the side too (Anthem, January 2023, p. 6). The lights must be drawn on the elevations you submit.

Do the Phase 5 ridge lots have extra rules?

Yes. Lots 1 to 30 in Block 24 and Lots 1 to 7 in Block 28 back onto the ridge, and the booklet's area-specific page adds requirements (Anthem, January 2023, p. 27):

Note: Phase 5 requirements as listed in January 2023. Six of these lots also need detailed side elevations, and eight more lots that side onto the area need the same.

Lots 38 to 44 in Block 22 are Park Front Lots. They need full front porches, and the developer installs a custom 4 ft fence along the front and down the sides to the foundation (pages 14 and 27).

How do approvals work in Glacier Ridge?

Builders submit through Anthem's United Lot Sales System, and Anthem says it will return every submission within five days (Anthem, January 2023, p. 25). The approval comes with a grade slip, and only then does the builder apply to the City. The City lists the grade slip among the documents for a new-house permit (The City of Calgary, new houses), and our permit times guide shows how long those permits ran in 2026.

The lot deposit is the Anthem standard: $10,000 cash or letter of credit per lot, capped at $50,000 per builder.

Seeing a Glacier Ridge plan at full size

In Glacier Ridge, the question is usually whether a two storey reaches 1,700 sq ft without getting too wide for a 3.0 m side yard total. At 1to1 Plans Calgary, the plan is lit at full size on a walkable LED floor, room by room with dimension lines, so you can feel what an extra 2 ft on the upper floor does to a bedroom. Elevations go on a wall-size screen, which helps when you're placing soffit lights and checking a front with no stucco to break it up.

Changes show on the floor right away, and you keep the session recording. Sessions are quoted for each plan, free of charge (pricing), and builders can bring a buyer to sign off a model (for builders). Send the plans as a PDF or DWG three days ahead and book a session. For budgets, see what a custom home costs in Calgary.