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Edmonton city planners have approved a permit for a man to build a three-storey dream house in Mill Creek Ravine Park, sandwiched between the bike path and the creek.

It’s a spot that used to have a small bungalow — which burned down in 2007 — and was at one time subject to a failed expropriation bid by the city.

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But owner Robert Weinrich said living there with his family of seven will make them the guardians of the ravine.

“I’ve got five children. They’ll all be stewards of the forest, that’s my dream,” said Weinrich, a retired construction businessman whose children are ages two through 15.

His driveway will cut across the bike path, forcing city officials to install a yield or stop sign for cyclists and dog walkers. But he’ll also be there to help if someone is attacked in the dark, he said, or to report late-night parties, bonfires and vandals.

Building anything in the river valley system is a highly controversial topic in Edmonton, a city that saw council chambers packed with opposition when the Alldritt Tower was approved on a sliver of parkland last spring.