Renfrew, Calgary: 12 backyard suites, tied for sixth in the city

Renfrew has more backyard suite permits than almost any community in Calgary. City of Calgary open data shows 12 backyard suite permits there from January 2023 to 29 September 2026, tied with Inglewood for fourth among 97 communities and 2.4% of the citywide total. It's also one of the smallest-household communities on this site: in 2021, households averaged 2.0 people and 38% lived alone.

How many backyard suites are being built in Renfrew?

Twelve permits in under four years, from a community of about 3,240 households. They carried a median declared value of $122,671, the figure applicants wrote on the permit, which runs below what a backyard suite actually costs. Permits took a median 34 days to issue.

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.

Development permits come first for most of them. As of October 2026, the site's backyard suites guide lists a backyard suite as discretionary in R-C2, which covers about 48% of Renfrew, so a planner reviews each one. The same guide sets out the August 2026 changes: one suite per lot, a parking stall again, and no backyard suite beside a semi-detached home outside R-G and R-Gm unless approved before 4 August 2026. With 51 new semi-detached permits here since 2023, that last rule matters in Renfrew.

Renfrew owners filed 31 secondary suite development permit applications, and the registry lists 226 suites. Registry additions went 23, 19 and 45 from 2023 to 2025, then 44 in 2026 to date.

What else is being built in Renfrew?

Semis, rowhouses and garages. Its 29 new single houses rank only 12th of the 18 Centre communities profiled here. Semi-detached permits ran 16, 16 and 9 a year from 2023 to 2025. Single-detached permits drifted from 10 in 2023 to 6 in 2025.

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.

Garages fell from 32 in 2023 to 13 in 2025 even as backyard suites rose. Basements are rare, with 8 permits in the window. Renovations took a median 22 days to issue, tied for 13th slowest of 88 communities.

The 29 new houses were large, with a median of 2,682 sq ft on the permit; 17 of them were 2,500 sq ft or more. Their median declared value of $491,274 is an applicant figure below real costs, and the custom home cost guide has real numbers.

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.

How long do Renfrew permits take?

Longer than most for new houses and development permits. A new single-detached house took a median 61 days to issue, against 32 days for a semi and 112 days for a rowhouse. Development permits took a median 77 days to a decision, the 17th slowest of 96 communities, and every one of the 199 decided was approved. The permits guide covers what each permit involves.

Who lives in Renfrew?

Smaller households and more renters than most. The census counted 6,580 residents in 3,240 households in 2021. Only 3% of households had five or more people, and 15% 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.

In 2019, 1,436 of 3,479 dwellings (41%) were single-detached, 898 (26%) were apartments and 354 (10%) were converted structures, the 15th highest share of 87 communities. Only 49% were owner-occupied. A single person or a couple in a small unit suggests a backyard suite planned as a one-bedroom with a full kitchen, though that depends on your goal for it. The bedroom size guide helps size its bedroom.

How is Renfrew zoned?

R-C2 is the largest district, at 47.8% of the community on the City's current map. Close to a third (32%) sits in special purpose districts that aren't housing: S-UN covers about 10.9% and S-CS about 10.6%, the second biggest S-CS share among the 97 communities.

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 City describes R-C2 as single-detached, semi-detached and duplex homes, S-UN as land kept in or returned to a natural state, and S-CS as education and community uses (The City of Calgary, land use districts). M-C2, about 5.0%, is for 3 to 5 storey apartments, and of the 97 communities profiled here, only Greenwood/Greenbriar has more of its area in it.

Of 231 development permit applications since 2023, 103 were recorded on R-CG lots, from the 2024 citywide rezoning. That rezoning's repeal took effect on 4 August 2026, and lots without an R-CG, R-G or H-GO development applied for or approved went back to their earlier district (The City of Calgary, 2026). Check your lot on the City's land use map.

Walking a Renfrew backyard suite at full size

A backyard suite is small enough to walk in one piece on the studio's LED floor, lit at full size with room names and dimension lines. In a unit that size, the questions are tight ones: whether the bed fits with room to pass, where the fridge door swings, and whether a sofa and a dining table can share the main room. The studio's sofa, dining table and chairs stand where you've drawn them, and freestanding walls mark the partitions.

You can move a wall during the session and see it on the floor right away, and you keep the recording. Send a PDF or DWG at least three days before. The quote is free and based on plan size: see pricing, book a session, or browse the communities hub.