Varsity, Calgary: 46 additions and the Northwest's top basement value

Varsity owners are rebuilding big. City of Calgary open data shows 46 additions issued there from January 2023 to 29 September 2026, the second most of any community, plus 115 renovations. The work is costly on paper as well: Varsity's basement permits had the highest median declared value in the Northwest sector, at $59,750, and its 19 new houses had a median of 3,447 sq ft.

Why do Varsity owners add on rather than move?

The data can't say why, but the pattern is clear. The City classes Varsity as a 1960s/1970s community, and owners are enlarging what's there. Additions and renovations together came to 161 permits, against 19 new houses.

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 46 additions had a median declared value of $97,612, twelfth highest of 58 communities, and a median 27.5 days to issue. Renovations had a median of $50,000, sixth highest of the 87 communities profiled here. Declared values are what owners wrote on the permit, not what the work cost, and real costs run higher. The home addition cost guide has 2026 prices per square foot, and the renovations page covers the studio's work with renovators.

Basement developments were fewer, at 24, but expensive and slow. Their median declared value of $59,750 topped the Northwest sector, and the median permit took 17 days to issue, longer than in all but two of the 87 communities profiled here.

How big are new houses in Varsity?

Among the largest in Calgary. The 19 new single-detached houses had a median of 3,447 sq ft on the permit, and 2025's median, on 12 houses, was 3,745 sq ft.

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.

Three were 2,000 to 2,499 sq ft, one was 2,500 to 2,999 and the other 15 were 3,000 sq ft or more. None was under 2,000. The custom home cost guide shows what each extra square foot adds.

Who lives in Varsity?

An older, smaller-household community than most. The 2021 census counted 12,040 people in 5,420 households, averaging 2.2 people, with 24% aged 65 or over and 34% of households living alone.

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.

Varsity's housing is mixed. The 2019 civic census found 2,601 single-detached homes, 44% of 5,888 dwellings, plus 2,137 apartments (36%) and 894 townhouses (15%). With so many residents over 65, the additions suggest owners planning to stay: main-floor bedrooms, wider bathrooms, a kitchen that opens to the yard. The primary bedroom guide covers the room a king bed needs.

What do Varsity's land use districts allow?

Single houses on the residential land, and a lot of land that isn't residential. R-C1 covers 41% of Varsity's districted area, and the Land Use Bylaw describes it as single detached dwellings with contextually sensitive redevelopment in the Developed Area (Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, s.384).

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.

Special purpose districts cover 43.1% of Varsity, slightly more than residential districts at 42.6%: S-R, a recreation district, at 14.9%, S-UN, urban nature, at 10.3% and S-SPR at 8.7%. S-URP, at 6.1%, is the bylaw's University Research Park district, for research and technology uses "in association with the University of Calgary" and governments (Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, s.1074). Development permit applications were led by R-CG with 70, then R-C1 with 52 and Direct Control with 43, a median 43 days to a decision. Check your lot on the City's land use map.

Can you add a suite in Varsity?

Yes, as of October 2026, in R-C1 and R-CG. A secondary suite is a permitted use in both, and a property can have one suite, not both kinds, as the legal basement suite guide explains.

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.

Owners took out 14 permits to alter existing space into a suite, with a median declared value of $73,707, and 7 for suites built as new construction, the City's New work class, at a median $90,299, sixth highest in Calgary. The City's registry lists 87 Varsity suites, with 12 added in 2026 so far, the most of any year in the window.

Walking a Varsity addition at full size

The question an addition raises is how the new room joins the old house: where the wall comes out, and whether the old kitchen still works once the traffic runs through it. At the studio, your plan is lit at full size on a walkable LED floor, so you can walk the route from the front door through the old rooms into the new one. A large house is shown a floor at a time.

The sofas, dining table and freestanding walls can be moved into the new room. Elevations go up on a wall-size screen. Changes appear on the floor during the session, and you keep the recording. Send a PDF or DWG at least three days ahead. The quote is free and based on plan size: see pricing, book a session, or browse the communities hub.