Albert Park/Radisson Heights: townhouses lead new building

Townhouses are the main kind of new home going up in Albert Park/Radisson Heights. City of Calgary open data to 29 September 2026 shows 45 rowhouse and townhouse permits since January 2023, against 10 semi-detached and 2 single-detached houses, and that count ranks 20th of the 97 communities. The pace is rising, with 17 in 2025 and 20 already in 2026. Permits here are also slow: a new semi-detached house took a median of 176 days to issue, the longest of the 61 communities with a median.

What's being built in Albert Park/Radisson Heights?

Renovations top the count at 56, with townhouses next at 45, then garages and suites. Single houses barely register, with 2 new single-detached permits in the window.

Permits issued, excluding cancelled ones. "Share of Calgary" is this community's part of the citywide count for the same project type and years. Declared value is what the applicant wrote on the permit application. It is not a quote and runs below real costs. Medians are shown only where a category has at least 5 permits. Source: City of Calgary open data (building permits, development permits, secondary suite registry, census 2021 population, census 2021 households, civic census 2019, land use districts), retrieved 5 October 2026.

A rowhouse permit often covers several units, so the median declared value of $932,387 isn't one home's price; it's what applicants wrote on the permit, and it runs below real costs. The median wait to issue was 121 days. The semis are the surprise: 10 permits, 7 of them in 2025, each taking roughly half a year on median from application to issue.

Owners of existing houses took out 56 renovation permits, third in the East sector after Dover and Penbrooke Meadows, and 19 detached garages. Basements and additions were rare, 2 each. If you're planning a new build here, the building permits guide explains the City's process, and the timelines above tell you to start early.

Why do permits take so long here?

The data shows the waits, not the reasons. Besides the semis and renovations, suites altered from existing space took a median of 59.5 days to issue, second slowest of 80 communities, and development permits a median of 62.5 days to a decision.

Development permits applied for from 1 January 2023; many home projects in Calgary need only a building permit, so these are a subset of all work. The registry lists suites the City has confirmed meet the rules, not every suite that exists. Source: City of Calgary open data (building permits, development permits, secondary suite registry, census 2021 population, census 2021 households, civic census 2019, land use districts), retrieved 5 October 2026.

Of 135 decided development permits, 134 were approved. R-CG lots drew 82 applications, though the data doesn't show how many came before or after the 2024 citywide rezoning. That rezoning was repealed on 4 August 2026, as the backyard suites guide explains. R-C2 lots drew 29 and R-C1 lots 19.

Owners took out 12 suite permits classed as alterations of existing space and 6 classed as new construction. The 6 backyard suites tie Forest Lawn for the most in the East. The registry added 38 suites in 2024 and 32 so far in 2026, for 206 in total.

Who lives in Albert Park/Radisson Heights?

Mostly renters, in a wide mix of homes. The 2019 civic census found 909 single-detached houses, 474 duplex units, 346 townhouses, 794 apartments and 457 converted structures among 3,010 dwellings.

Population and household figures are from the 2021 Census of Canada as published by the City of Calgary; dwelling types are from the City's 2019 civic census, the last one it ran. Newer communities have grown since. Source: City of Calgary open data (building permits, development permits, secondary suite registry, census 2021 population, census 2021 households, civic census 2019, land use districts), retrieved 5 October 2026.

The 2021 census counted 6,740 people in 2,785 households, averaging 2.4 people, with 32% living alone and 10% in households of five or more. Owners occupied only 819 dwellings. A large share of renters and converted structures suggests a strong rental market, which would fit the townhouse and suite counts, but the permits don't record who builds or why.

What does the zoning allow?

A spread of districts, none dominant, with a large share in Special Purpose districts. The table below lists the five largest by area.

The share of the community's districted area in each land use district, from the City's district and community boundary maps intersected exactly. Districts change by lot and by amendment: check a specific lot on the City's land use map before you plan. Source: City of Calgary open data (building permits, development permits, secondary suite registry, census 2021 population, census 2021 households, civic census 2019, land use districts), retrieved 5 October 2026.

R-C2 covers 18.9% of the area and R-C1 17.2%; the Land Use Bylaw 1P2007 names them Residential - Contextual One / Two Dwelling and Residential - Contextual One Dwelling. Next come three Special Purpose districts: S-SPR (School, Park and Community Reserve) at 12%, S-R (Recreation) at 11.8% and S-UN (Urban Nature) at 9.3%. Special Purpose land as a whole covers 39.2% of the community, almost as much as the 40.6% in Residential districts. Multi-Residential districts add 9.9%. As of October 2026, a secondary suite is a permitted use in R-C1 and R-C2, per the site's legal basement suite guide. Check a specific lot on the City's land use map.

Seeing a townhouse plan at full size

A townhouse unit is narrow and stacked, so the walkthrough question is how the width feels: whether the kitchen and dining fit side by side and whether the stair leaves a usable living room. At the studio, each floor is lit at full size on a walkable LED floor with dimension lines, and the dining table, chairs and a sofa can be placed to test it. Elevations go up on a wall-size screen behind the floor. Multi-family sessions are quoted per unit plan.

Changes go straight onto the floor, and the session is recorded for you to keep. Send the plans as PDF or DWG three days ahead. Quotes are free: see pricing, book a session, or return to the communities hub.