West Springs, Calgary: new house permits jumped from 2 to 51 a year

West Springs had a late wave of new houses. City of Calgary open data shows just 2 new single-detached permits there in 2023, then 35 in 2024 and 51 in 2025, for 110 from January 2023 to 29 September 2026. Most landed in one size band: 67 of the 110 were between 2,000 and 2,499 sq ft on the permit. Basement development permits, meanwhile, reached 110, the most in Calgary's West sector.

How big are the new houses in West Springs?

Mid-sized for the West, and very consistent. The median was 2,392 sq ft. The bands show how tight the range is: 67 houses between 2,000 and 2,499 sq ft, 31 between 2,500 and 2,999 sq ft, and 9 at 3,000 sq ft or more.

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 yearly median crept up, from 2,324 sq ft in 2024 to 2,461 sq ft in 2025 and 2,474 sq ft in 2026 to date. (2023 had too few houses to report one.) That floor area usually leaves out the basement, which matters here because so many West Springs owners finish theirs.

New house permits took a median 22 days to issue. Their median declared value was $398,851, which is what applicants wrote on the permit and runs below real construction costs. For actual numbers, see the custom home cost guide, and for the permit itself the new home permit time guide.

What else is being built in West Springs?

Basements, steadily: 25 in 2023, 30 in 2024, 32 in 2025 and 23 so far in 2026. That's 1.6% of Calgary's basement permits, from a community of about 11,560 people.

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.

A basement permit here took a median 7 days to issue, with a median declared value of $38,814, again a permit figure below real costs. The 40 rowhouse and townhouse permits were third most in the West sector, after Springbank Hill and Medicine Hill, and carried a median declared value of $1,134,117 per permit, but 23 of them were issued in 2023. Additions were scarce until 2025, when 8 of the 12 were issued, and they took a median 46 days.

If you're finishing a basement with bedrooms, the basement ceiling height guide covers the headroom rules.

Who lives in West Springs?

Young families. The 2021 census counted 11,560 residents in 3,745 households, an average of 3.1 people. A quarter of residents were 14 or younger and 7% were 65 or older.

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 2019 civic census found 2,605 of 3,856 dwellings (68%) were single-detached, and 634 (16%) were townhouses, the 20th highest townhouse share of 87 communities. A quarter of the population under 15 suggests basements planned as playrooms or bedrooms for older kids, so it's worth placing the stair and a bathroom rough-in early, even if you finish it later.

Can you add a suite in West Springs?

You can, though few owners have. The City issued 10 alteration permits that turned existing space into a suite and 7 suite permits classed as new construction, and 17 development permit applications were for suites.

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.

All 162 development permits decided since 2023 were approved, with a median of 32 days to a decision, quicker than most of the 96 communities with a median. The registry added 19 West Springs suites in 2025, more than the 3, 5 and 4 in the other years combined.

As of October 2026, the site's legal basement suite guide lists a secondary suite as a permitted use in R-1 and R-1s. A suite that meets every zoning rule goes straight to a building permit, and a lot can have one suite, not both a secondary suite and a backyard suite.

How is West Springs zoned?

R-1 covers 36.9% of the area, the largest R-1 share of the 97 communities profiled here, and Direct Control about 14.8%. S-TUC, the transportation and utility corridor, takes 8.3%, S-SPR 8.2% and R-1s 5.1%.

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-1 and R-1s as single-detached districts, and a DC district as a customized designation with rules specific to a property (The City of Calgary, land use districts). S-SPR covers parks and schools and S-UN, about 3.9% and just outside the table's top five, is land kept in or returned to a natural state. The development permit record also shows 21 applications in C-COR2, which the City lists for commercial or mixed use with homes allowed on upper floors.

R-G appears on 32 development permit applications from the citywide rezoning period. After the repeal took effect on 4 August 2026, rezoned lots reverted unless an R-CG, R-G or H-GO development had been applied for or approved (The City of Calgary, 2026). Check yours on the City's land use map.

Seeing a West Springs plan at full size

A 2,400 sq ft two-storey plan is walked one floor at a time on the studio's LED floor, room by room at full size with dimension lines. With kids in the house, the useful test is the busy hour: can someone get from the front door to the kitchen while the table is set? The studio's dining table, chairs and freestanding walls go where your plan puts them, and elevations show on the wall-size screen behind.

Changes appear on the floor as you make them, and the recording is yours afterwards. Send a PDF or DWG at least three days ahead. The quote is free and set by plan size: see pricing, book a session, or the communities hub.