Downtown Office Conversion Program (Calgary)
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
The City of Calgary pays downtown property owners a per-square-foot incentive to convert existing commercial office space into residential units, hotels or other approved uses. The rate is $75 per square foot of converted office floor area (plus $50 per square foot for active uses at ground and Plus 15 levels), to a maximum of $12 million per application unless Council approves more. Renamed from the Downtown Calgary Development Incentive Program when Council approved updated Terms of Reference in May 2026; the June 15 – July 27, 2026 application window has closed.
Eligibility Requirements
- Applicant must own the building, or demonstrate a path to ownership with a letter from the current owner authorizing the application and attesting to the proposed sale — leaseholders and tenants cannot apply.
- The project must be located in Calgary's Greater Downtown Plan Area; projects inside the Downtown Core 'Priority Area' are considered for funding ahead of projects outside it.
- At the time of submission the property must be classified by The City of Calgary as commercial office use and as 'non-residential' property for assessment and tax purposes.
- The project must convert existing office space to an eligible use: multi-residential development/dwelling units, hotel, or an 'other use' within the scope of the program (student housing, seniors housing, co-living, life sciences, self-storage, K–12 schools, performing arts and cultural uses).
- New construction and additions to existing buildings are out of scope.
- Buildings already being converted from non-residential to residential assessment class are out of scope.
- Projects within the scope of the Downtown Post-Secondary Institution Incentive Program are out of scope for this program.
- Property owned by any municipal, provincial or federal government, or any subsidiary or affiliate, is out of scope.
- Applicants (or affiliates) under an unremedied notice of default, or whose prior City conversion funding agreement was terminated, are out of scope until the issues are resolved to the Director's satisfaction.
- Applications must pass three pass/fail preliminary gates — complete submission, legal due diligence, and financing plan/financial capacity — before any scoring occurs.
- Crowdfunding is not an acceptable source of project equity.
- For 'other uses', the applicant must state the incentive rate it is requesting; where two applications score equally, the one requesting the lower rate per square foot ranks higher.
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- $75 per square foot of converted office space (multi-residential, hotel, and approved other uses), plus $50 per square foot for active uses at ground and Plus 15 levels — to a maximum of $12 million per application unless Council approves a greater amount
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Municipal
- Deadline
- Closed — the last application window ran June 15 to July 27, 2026. No new window is announced.
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Everything you need to win Downtown Office Conversion Program (Calgary)
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 8 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 12-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- 7-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 3-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipThe program was renamed in May 2026 — searching for 'Downtown Calgary Development Incentive Program' now redirects to the Office Conversion Program page, and older third-party write-ups describe superseded terms. Three things decide most applications before scoring starts: you must be the owner (or hold a documented path to ownership), the building must still be assessed as commercial office and non-residential today, and your financing plan must survive a pass/fail test on its own. The pre-application assessment is not optional paperwork — it is where the City surfaces the Plus 15, servicing and code issues that otherwise cost you points under 'readiness to proceed'. If you are converting to an 'other use' you name your own rate up to $75/sq ft, and on a scoring tie the lower request wins.
Rejection Pitfalls 8
- Applicant is a tenant or leaseholder rather than the building owner
- Building is outside the Greater Downtown Plan Area
- Property is not currently assessed as commercial office / non-residential
Success Profile
An experienced Calgary developer or ownership group that already holds title to a vacant or heavily under-leased office tower in the Downtown Core Priority Area, has a named architect, development manager and general contractor with comparable conversion projects behind them, has financing lined up (internal statements or a lender commitment/comfort letter, with CMHC ACLP conditional approval where applicable), and is proposing a residential conversion of 100,000+ square feet that keeps active commercial uses at grade.
Evaluation Criteria
Two stages. A pass/fail preliminary review checks submission completeness, legal due diligence, and the financing plan and financial capacity. Applications that pass are scored out of 100: project experience, capacity and team (20 points, minimum 10); project maturity and readiness to proceed (30, minimum 15); project elements — ground-floor and Plus 15 active uses, natural light and operable windows, residential amenity, bike parking, facade and public-realm improvement, heritage designation where applicable (30, minimum 15); and impact toward program outcomes — scale of office space removed, provision of new non-market housing, and retention of the non-residential assessment class (20). Missing the minimum in any category means refusal regardless of aggregate score. Projects in the Downtown Core Priority Area are considered before those outside it. Refused applicants may seek reconsideration by the Administrative Review Panel within 30 days, but only on new and material information.
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 12
Eligible Expenses 4
- Conversion of existing office floor area to multi-residential dwelling units
- Conversion of existing office floor area to hotel use
- Conversion of existing office floor area to approved 'other uses' (student, seniors and co-living housing, life sciences, self-storage, K–12 schools, performing arts and cultural uses)
- Provisioning of active uses at ground and Plus 15 levels (commercial retail units, personal services, food markets, restaurants, daycares) at $50 per square foot
Ineligible Expenses 4
- New building construction
- Additions to existing buildings
- Conversion of floor area not currently classified as commercial office / non-residential property
- Ground-floor lobby and residential amenity space at the full rate (compensated at 50% of the associated incentive rate)
Intake Periods
Applications are accepted only during announced windows. The most recent window ran June 15 to July 27, 2026 with $25M available; the program is not accepting applications now. The City states future application windows depend on funding availability and that there is no committed funding beyond what has been announced publicly.
Deadline Notes
The City's page reads 'The Downtown Office Conversion Program is not accepting applications at this time.' The last window ran June 15 to July 27, 2026 with $25M available. The City's own Q&A is explicit that 'the possibility for future application windows for the Program will be dependent on availability of funding' and that 'there is no specific additional funding at this time beyond what has been communicated publicly' — so treat a next round as possible, not scheduled. Email [email protected] to be told when one opens.
Ineligible Organizations
- Leaseholders and tenants (the applicant must be the building owner or have a documented path to ownership)
- Municipal, provincial and federal governments and their subsidiaries and affiliates
- Applicants under an unremedied City notice of default on a conversion funding agreement
- Applicants whose prior City conversion funding agreement was terminated by The City
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Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
High RiskThe Terms of Reference state that failure to continue regular reporting in accordance with the funding agreement could result in an event of default and potential termination of the agreement, including repayment of all or a portion of the incentive funds. The City also files caveats against title as part of the funding agreement.
How Downtown Office Conversion Program (Calgary) Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Office Conversion Program (C... | $75 per square foot of converted office space | Hard | Reimbursement | Closed — the last... |
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| Green Construction Through Wood (GCWo... | Up to $5,000,000 | Hard | Milestone-Based | Periodic Calls for... |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Downtown Office Conversion Program (Calgary)