Seton, Calgary: 835 registered suites and the Southeast's townhouses

Since January 2023, Seton's biggest permit categories have been new single-detached houses (557), detached garages (268), semi-detached homes (160) and suites created by altering existing space (144), in the City of Calgary's open data to 29 September 2026. What sets it apart is density: Seton issued 107 rowhouse and townhouse permits, the most of any community in the data and close to a third of the whole Southeast's, and 835 suites sit on the City's registry here.

What has Seton built since 2023?

Seton is still building its first homes and already adding to them, with garage and suite permits arriving alongside new houses. Here's the full count by year:

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 new-house peak was 2023 and 2024 (179 and 182 permits). The 2025 count dropped to 113, and 2026 had reached 83 by the end of September, so this year looks similar to last rather than lower.

The 107 rowhouse and townhouse permits carry a median declared value of $944,305, because one permit usually covers a whole block of units. That figure is what the applicant wrote on the permit, and it runs below what the building costs. These permits also took longer: a median of 40 days from application to issue, against 17 days for a detached house.

Garages kept climbing while houses slowed: 62 in 2023, 80 in 2024 and 81 in 2025. The median declared value was $42,434, again the applicant's figure and below real costs. If you're planning one, our detached garage cost guide and garage size guide cover the rest.

How big are new houses in Seton?

Most new Seton houses land between 1,500 and 2,499 sq ft: 494 of the 557 permits fall in those two bands. Only 38 were 2,500 sq ft or more, under 7%.

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 moved from 1,952 sq ft in 2023 to 2,103 sq ft in 2025, then back to 1,952 sq ft in 2026 so far. These are above-grade floor areas from the permit and usually leave out the basement. A plan near 2,000 sq ft is typical here, so the trade-offs are about fitting four bedrooms, a flex room and a mudroom into a narrow lot, not about filling extra space. For build budgets, see what a custom home costs in Calgary.

How many suites does Seton have?

Seton has 835 suites on the City's secondary suite registry. Since 2023, 186 suite permits were issued: 144 for suites made by altering existing space and 42 that the City classes as new construction.

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.

Registry additions ran 125 in 2023, 203 in 2024 and 184 in 2025, with 70 so far in 2026. The registry lists suites the City has confirmed, so it includes suites approved before 2023 and isn't a count of permits.

Development permits tell a different story. Of 182 applications since 2023, only 28 were for secondary suites, and 142 of the 143 decided were approved. As of October 2026, a suite in R-G, Seton's main residential district, that follows every zoning rule goes straight to a building permit. The current rules, including the August 2026 change that allows a secondary suite or a backyard suite on a lot but not both, are in our basement suite guide and backyard suite guide. Only 4 backyard suites were permitted in Seton in the window, one a year.

Who lives in Seton?

Seton's households are small, and most homes in the last civic census were apartments. In 2019, 614 of 973 dwellings were apartments and 148 were detached houses.

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 2021 census counted 3,590 people in 1,730 households, 38% of them living alone and 9% aged 65 or over. The community has grown a great deal since, with 557 new detached houses on top of those numbers. That mix suggests two kinds of plans here: compact homes for one or two people near the core, and family houses on the outer streets. Seton also holds the South Health Campus, a 269-bed hospital, according to the community developer's site.

What does the land use allow in Seton?

R-G is Seton's largest district, at about 33.4% of the area, and direct control comes next at 24.0%, the sixth biggest DC share among the 97 communities. A direct control district carries its own rules written for that site, so you need to look up your exact lot.

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.

R-G and R-Gm (about 4.4%) both list secondary suites and backyard suites as permitted uses under the Land Use Bylaw, as our suite guides set out. M-1 covers about 9.9%, the second-largest share of any Calgary community after Osprey Hill, and falls in what the City groups as multi-residential. S-SPR takes another 13.3%. Check any address on the City's land use map before you plan.

Seeing a Seton plan at full size

On a 2,000 sq ft Seton plan, the questions are about width: whether a narrow lot leaves a usable hallway past the stairs, whether the island and dining table both fit, whether a basement suite bedroom feels like a room. On our walkable LED floor, the plan is shown at 1:1, room by room, with dimension lines. You can push our freestanding walls, sofas and dining table into place and see changes on the floor straight away. A standard session runs two hours and you keep the recording.

A townhouse unit or a suite plan is walked the same way. Sessions are quoted by the size of the plan and the quote is free: see pricing or book a time. Other Southeast communities are on the communities hub.