Redstone, Calgary: 245 suite permits and 62 rowhouse permits

In Redstone, adding a suite is the main home project. City of Calgary open data shows 245 secondary suite permits in Redstone from January 2023 to 29 September 2026, the ninth most of the 97 communities we compare, and 200 of them were for suites created by altering existing space. Over the same stretch, only 2 new single-detached houses were permitted. Redstone owners also filed 207 development permit applications for suites, more than anywhere but Saddle Ridge, and households averaged 3.4 people in 2021.

How many suites are being added in Redstone?

A lot, relative to everything else. Since 2023 Redstone has had 200 suite permits for converting existing space and another 45 that the City classes as new construction, while new single-detached houses numbered 2.

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.

The pace has slowed. Suite conversions of existing space went 67, 82 and 42 in 2023, 2024 and 2025, with 9 so far in 2026. Basement developments followed a similar line, from 51 in 2023 to 12 in 2025 and 5 to date in 2026. One reading is that most of the houses suited to a suite already have one, but the data can't confirm that.

A Redstone alteration permit for a suite had a median declared value of $69,864 and took a median of 28 days to issue. That value is what the applicant wrote on the permit application, and it runs below what a legal suite really costs; the legal basement suite guide gives Calgary builders' 2026 ranges.

Why did Redstone suites need development permits?

Because of R-1N and R-1. R-1N is Redstone's largest district, at about 22.7% of its area, and until Bylaw 26P2026 in July 2026 the City's suite pages listed R-1N and R-1 among the districts where a secondary 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.

So Redstone produced 302 development permit applications since 2023, the fourth most in Calgary after Saddle Ridge, Bowness and the Beltline, and 207 were for suites. R-1N lots drew 110 applications, R-G 61, DC 57 and R-1 34. The median took 35 days to a decision, and only 3 were refused.

As of October 2026, a secondary suite is a permitted use in R-1N, R-1, R-2 and R-G, so one that meets every zoning rule goes straight to a building permit. The registry lists 438 Redstone suites, with 58 added in 2023, 118 in 2024, 78 in 2025 and 23 to date in 2026.

Who lives in Redstone?

Large households. The 2021 census counted 9,050 residents in 2,665 households, averaging 3.4 people. Almost a quarter of households (23%) had five or more people, only 14% were one person, and 25% of residents were 14 or younger.

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 City's 2019 civic census found 1,828 dwellings: 1,040 single-detached (57%), 486 townhouses (27%, the fifth highest share of 87 communities profiled here) and 274 duplexes, with no apartments. 75% were owner-occupied. Large households in mostly detached and attached homes suggest suites that serve family as well as tenants, so a second kitchen, a main-floor bedroom or a bigger living area downstairs may matter as much as the rental layout. The bedroom size guide helps when you're fitting more bedrooms into a basement.

What else is being built in Redstone?

Rowhouses, and not much else that's new. Redstone had 62 rowhouse and townhouse permits, 19 in 2023, 7 in 2024, 27 in 2025 and 9 so far in 2026, the third most in the Northeast after Cornerstone and Saddle Ridge. A rowhouse permit may cover a building of several homes, which fits its median declared value of $1,460,540; those permits took a median of just 27.5 days to issue.

Existing-home work besides suites included 79 detached garages, 46 renovations and 4 additions. A garage permit had a median declared value of $46,677 on the application and took 8 days to issue. The detached garage cost guide covers what one really costs.

What is Redstone zoned for?

Less than half of it is in the City's Residential group (45.1%). Multi-residential districts cover another 18.2%, the fifth highest share among the 97 communities, special purpose land 25.7% and direct control 10.6%.

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.

After R-1N, the biggest piece is S-TUC at 12.7%, which the City labels its transportation and utility corridor district. R-2 covers 7.8%, and M-1, just outside the table's top five, about 7.5%. DC lots follow rules written for that site, so check your own on the City's land use map before you plan a suite. Redstone had 2 backyard suite permits; backyard suites are discretionary in R-1N, R-1 and R-2, as the backyard suites guide sets out.

Walking a Redstone suite plan

For a suite that may house relatives, the walkthrough question is who uses which door and which kitchen. At the studio, the basement and main floor are laid out at full size, one at a time, on a walkable LED floor with room names and dimension lines. You can walk the route from the side entrance down the stair and into the suite's living area, with studio sofas and a dining table set where you've drawn them.

Changes appear on the floor while you're there, and the session is recorded for the rest of the family to see. Send a PDF or DWG at least three days ahead. Quotes are free and depend on the plan's size: see pricing and book a session. Other Northeast communities are on the communities page.