Ricardo Ranch, Calgary: 501 new homes since its first permits in 2024

The City of Calgary's open data shows no building permits in Ricardo Ranch in 2023, one of only three of the 97 communities profiled here with none, then 501 new homes permitted from 2024 to 29 September 2026. Nearly half of them are semi-detached (228 permits, against 246 single-detached houses), and its development permits have taken a median of 111 days to decide, one of the longest waits in the city.

How new is Ricardo Ranch?

Its first permits in this data came in 2024. In 2023 the City issued none here for any of the project types it tracks.

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.

New houses went from 23 in 2024 to 122 in 2025, with 101 through September 2026. Semis led the opening year at 64, then reached 106 in 2025. Townhouses are climbing: 1, then 9, then 17 so far in 2026. Their median declared value of $1,209,894 reflects one permit covering a whole building. Every declared value is what the applicant wrote on the permit; it isn't a quote and runs below real costs.

Projects that come after move-in are just starting. There were 4 basement developments, all in 2026, and 29 suite permits for altering existing space, 12 in 2025 and 17 so far in 2026.

Semi or house in Ricardo Ranch?

Both are common. Semis were 45.5% of the 501 new homes permitted here, the third-highest share of any community the City classes as developing, after Huxley and, by a fraction of a point, Greenwood/Greenbriar. A semi carried a median declared value of $183,544 and a house $304,501, both the applicant's figures.

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.

For houses, the median was 1,932 sq ft on the permit, and 122 of 246 fell between 1,500 and 1,999 sq ft. Only 17 were 2,500 sq ft or more, one of them over 3,000. The yearly median rose each year, from 1,820 sq ft in 2024 to 1,925 in 2025 and 2,034 in 2026. Floor area on the permit usually excludes the basement.

With so many semis, the party wall shapes a lot of Ricardo Ranch floor plans: rooms along it get light only from the front or back, so room depth and hallway placement matter. For permit timing on a new home, see our new home permit time guide.

Why do development permits take longer in Ricardo Ranch?

The data shows the wait but not the reason. Ricardo Ranch's 33 development permit applications since 2023 took a median of 111 days to a decision, and all 19 decided were approved.

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.

Direct control lots drew 11 of the applications, the most of any district, and 3 more covered land in several districts at once. Direct control districts set their own rules. None of the applications was for a secondary suite. As of October 2026, a suite in R-G or R-Gm that follows every zoning rule is a permitted use and goes straight to a building permit, which may explain why. Our legal basement suite guide has the details.

The City's registry lists 177 suites in Ricardo Ranch, 114 of them added in 2025. That's far more than the 35 suite building permits in the table above. The two figures come from different City datasets and don't line up one to one; the registry is the list of suites the City has confirmed.

What does the land look like?

Mostly not houses. Just over half of Ricardo Ranch (52%) is in the City's special purpose districts. S-UN alone covers about 30.3% of the area, the largest S-UN share of any of the 97 communities, and S-FUD, which the City labels future urban development, another 10.3%.

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.

Of the residential districts, R-G covers about 20.8% and R-Gm about 7.7%, with direct control at 13.8%. As our suite guides set out from the Land Use Bylaw, R-G and R-Gm list secondary and backyard suites as permitted uses. A lot can have a secondary suite or a backyard suite, not both, since 4 August 2026. See the backyard suite guide and check your own lot on the City's land use map.

Are people adding garages in Ricardo Ranch?

Yes, from the start. Garages ran 27 in 2024, 33 in 2025 and 32 so far in 2026, for 92 in all. The median declared value was $42,434, the applicant's figure and below real costs, and the median wait was 16 days. Our garage size guide covers stall widths and doors.

Seeing a Ricardo Ranch plan at full size

With a semi, a walkthrough settles the questions a narrow plan raises: where the stair lands, whether the kitchen and dining fit side by side, and whether the rooms on the party wall feel too deep. With a 1,900 sq ft house, it's the same tight-fit checks with more rooms. On our walkable LED floor, the plan is shown at full size, room by room, with dimension lines. Movable walls, sofas, a dining table and chairs show how rooms hold furniture, and elevations go up on a wall-size screen behind the floor.

A standard session runs two hours. Send the plan as a PDF or DWG at least three days ahead. Sessions are quoted by the plan's size and the quote is free: see pricing or book a session. Other Southeast communities are on the communities hub.