Cornerstone, Calgary: more suite permits than any other community

Since January 2023, no Calgary community has taken out more secondary suite permits than Cornerstone, and only one has more new houses, according to the City of Calgary's open data to 29 September 2026. The City issued 935 permits here to create a suite by altering existing space, 13.3% of every such permit in the city, and 229 more suite permits classed as new construction. Both counts lead all 97 communities.

What have Cornerstone homeowners built since 2023?

Mostly two things: new houses and suites. The 1,102 new single-detached permits make Cornerstone the second busiest community in the data for new houses, and its 935 suite conversions of existing space put it first for that work. Detached garages (469) and basement developments (276) follow.

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.

Suite alteration permits jumped from 170 in 2023 to 351 in 2024, then 257 in 2025, with 157 issued to the end of September 2026. Basement developments went the other way, from 154 in 2023 to 69 in 2024 and 31 in 2025. Read together, that suggests basements here are now more often finished as suites than as rec rooms.

The median declared value on a suite alteration permit was $63,489. That's what applicants wrote on the form, and it runs below real costs. The median permit took 18 days from application to issue.

How many suites does Cornerstone have, and how fast are they being added?

More than anywhere else in the City's registry. The registry counts 1,485 Cornerstone suites that the City has confirmed meet the rules, with 413 added in 2025 alone.

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 266 development permit applications since 2023, 91 were for secondary suites, and 144 of the 146 decided so far were approved. Most Cornerstone suites went straight to a building permit.

That fits the land use: R-G, where a secondary suite is a permitted use, is Cornerstone's largest district, and R-G lots drew 171 of the 266 applications. As of October 2026, a property can have a secondary suite or a backyard suite, not both. Our legal basement suite guide sets out the post-August 2026 rules, and the backyard suites guide covers the other option. Only 5 backyard suite permits were issued here, 4 of them in 2026.

Who lives in Cornerstone, and what does it mean for a suite plan?

Large, young households. The 2021 census counted 6,190 people in 1,795 households, an average of 3.4 per home, with 26% of residents aged 14 or under and only 3% aged 65 or over.

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.

With 21% of households at five or more people, a suite here often has to hold a family, not a single tenant. The egress window guide covers the opening every suite bedroom needs, and the basement ceiling height guide covers the headroom under ducts and beams.

The 2019 civic census, before much of today's building, counted 1,285 dwellings, 46% of them single-detached and 21% duplex.

How much of Cornerstone is zoned for houses?

A bit over a third of it. R-G covers about 30.4% of Cornerstone and R-Gm, just outside the table, another 5%, and our suite guides list both as districts where a secondary suite and a backyard suite are permitted uses. Multi-residential districts add 5.5%.

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.

The rest is mostly special purpose land, 56% of the area and the ninth highest share of the 97. The City labels S-TUC a transportation and utility corridor (19.2%), S-FUD future urban development (13.1%, the largest S-FUD share of any residential community in the Northeast), S-UN urban nature (10.5%) and S-SPR school, park and community reserve (8.2%). None of those is a residential district. Check a lot on the City's land use map before you plan around it.

How big are new houses in Cornerstone?

Mid-sized and growing. Of the 1,102 new single-detached houses, 867 (79%) fall between 1,500 and 2,499 sq ft on the permit, and 175 (16%) are 2,500 sq ft or more.

The floor area the applicant entered on the building permit, for new single-detached houses issued in the same window. It usually excludes the basement. 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 229 suite permits classed as new construction can't tell you how many of these houses came with a suite, because the City's New work class covers a suite built new in a new or an existing house. If you're buying new here and plan to rent the basement, settling the side entrance, the stair position and the window wells on paper is easier than changing them once the foundation is poured.

Seeing a Cornerstone suite at full size

A suite plan is the job a full-size walkthrough suits best in Cornerstone. On the studio's LED floor, the basement is drawn at 1:1 with room names and dimension lines, so you can stand in the second bedroom and see whether a bed and a dresser fit around the window well, or walk from the side door down the stair into the kitchen. Freestanding walls, a sofa and a dining table let you test the living area with real furniture.

Changes go onto the floor on the spot, and you keep the recording of the session. Send the plan as a PDF or DWG at least three days ahead. Sessions are quoted for the plan by its size, and the quote is free: see pricing or book a session. More community pages are on the communities hub.