Legacy, Calgary: apartments, suites and 3,000 sq ft houses

Legacy mixes more kinds of home than its new-house permits suggest. In the City's 2019 civic census, 36% of its dwellings were apartments, and the 2021 census found 23% of households were one person. Yet the new houses permitted since January 2023 lean large: City of Calgary open data to 29 September 2026 shows 77 of 638 at 3,000 sq ft or more, alongside 211 basement developments and 114 suite development permit applications.

How big are new houses in Legacy?

Spread wide. The median was 2,133 sq ft, with a long top end: 92 houses between 2,500 and 2,999 sq ft and 77 at 3,000 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 median was 2,067 sq ft on both 2023 and 2024 permits and 2,078 sq ft in 2025, then jumped to 2,355 sq ft in 2026 to date. New house permits had a median declared value of $352,890, the figure applicants put on the form, which runs below what a house costs to build. Semi-detached permits have nearly stopped, with 2 in 2026 so far after 52, 48 and 36 in the three full years.

At the 3,000 sq ft end, a plan can carry a main-floor office, a large mudroom and a bonus room, and the risk shifts from rooms being too small to rooms that don't get used. The custom home cost guide is the place to check what that size costs.

Who lives in Legacy?

A mix of singles, couples and families. The 2021 census counted 8,000 people in 3,045 households, an average of 2.6 per home.

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 apartments at 36% and townhouses at 11% of dwellings in 2019, the mix suggests two kinds of house plan here: a move-up house for a growing family, and a house with a suite that a single person or a couple in the community might rent. Owner-occupied dwellings were 66% in 2019.

Why do so many Legacy suites start with a development permit?

Land use. R-1N had 69 of Legacy's 261 development permit applications since 2023, R-1 had 19 and Direct Control districts 53, and before Bylaw 26P2026 in July 2026 the City's suite pages listed R-1N and R-1 among the districts where a suite needed a development permit.

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 those 261 applications, 114 were for suites, and 187 of the 188 decided were approved, at a median of 38 days. The registry lists 355 Legacy suites, with 120 added in 2024 and 121 in 2025. As of October 2026, the site's legal basement suite guide lists a secondary suite as a permitted use in R-1N and R-1, so a suite that meets every rule can now go straight to a building permit there. Direct Control districts still set their own rules, so check your lot on the City's land use map.

Suite building permits for altering existing space took a median of 25 days to issue, slower than Legacy's basement developments at 8 days.

What else are Legacy owners building?

Basements, garages and the occasional addition. Basement development permits ran 56, 53 and 64 in the full years, with 38 to September 2026, and owners added 206 detached garages.

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.

Legacy had 10 addition permits, with a median declared value of $35,666 and 20 days to issue. If you're weighing one, the home addition cost guide shows what builders charge.

How much of Legacy is zoned for housing?

About a third of it. Special purpose districts cover 56.4% of Legacy's area. S-CRI, which the City labels City and Regional Infrastructure, takes 23.9%, the largest S-CRI share of the 97 communities, and S-UN, Urban Nature, another 22.5%.

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 housing land comes in small pieces. R-1N covers 10.2% and R-G and Direct Control 7.1% each, while R-1s, at 5.4%, and R-2M, at 4.7%, sit just below the table's top five. The R-1s and R-2M shares are each the third highest in the data. With that many districts in one community, your neighbour's lot may not follow your lot's rules, which helps explain why Legacy's development permit applications came from so many districts. Check yours on the City's land use map.

Trying a Legacy plan at full size

For a big Legacy house, the walkthrough answers whether every room has a job. On the studio's walkable LED floor, the plan is lit at full size room by room, one floor or wing at a time if it's large, and the studio's freestanding walls, sofas and dining table show how the bonus room and the office really feel furnished. For a suite plan, you can walk the tenant's route from the side door to the bedroom.

Changes are made on the spot and appear on the floor straight away, and the recording goes home with you. Send a PDF or DWG at least three days ahead. The quote is free and based on the plan's size: see pricing, book a session, or see the communities hub.