Record number of construction permit applications made in Calgary in 2021

An artist rendering of the BMO Centre expansion project. (Courtesy CMLC)

A significant increase in the number of construction permit applications in Calgary last year is being heralded as an indication of economic rebound from the start of the pandemic.

According to city officials, there were 21,055 building permit applications submitted last year, dwarfing the 10-year median of 16,598 applications and outpacing the 18,181 of 2020.

"Calgarians are optimistic about the future of our city and that is being reflected in both the residential and commercial building permit numbers," explained Mayor Jyoti Gondek. "Businesses and homeowners are investing in their neighbourhoods and that is in turn driving economic growth and creating jobs."

The total construction value was up 68 per cent year-over-year, with $5.7 billion reported in 2021 compared to the $3.4 billion reported in 2020.

Of the $5.7 billion reported, $3.6 billion was residential and $2.1 billion was non-residential. The non-residential construction tally is the largest in Calgary since 2017.

The city experienced an increase in development permit applications last year (8,340 compared to 7,911 in 2020) with jumps in the number of outdoor café submissions (285 compared to 89) and residential infill applications (up 59 per cent).

"The development application submission numbers reveal an interesting story about the construction landscape," said Stuart Dalgleish, general manager of planning and development with the City of Calgary.  "We are seeing strong indicators of redevelopment happening in established areas of the city, homeowners looking for flexibility to enable home renovations and land ownership changes as Calgary continues to grow and change."

The total value of the 2021 applications was bolstered by several projects including:

• BMO Centre expansion ($317 million);
• Two Park Central ($92 million);
• Trico LivingWell at Kingsland Junction ($68 million total for buildings 4 and 5);
• Bridgeland-Riverside Continuing Care ($67 million);
• Coventry Hills High School ($53 million);
• VIVO for Healthier Generations expansion ($42 million); and,
• Shawnessy Station ($39 million).

For a complete list of projects, visit City of Calgary - Building Permit Values by Community.