At least that's the vision that Barrie councillors had this week when one councillor asked his colleagues to allow A-frame directional signs on city property.

Ward 7 Coun. John Brassard was alone in wanting to help home builders sell during these tough times.

"I received a request from residential developers in the city to help them with the sale with existing inventory," said Brassard. "There is a glut (of new homes).

"Some are having trouble attracting people and getting them to the sites. As (homes) sit vacant, it means taxes are not being collected. We can put some teeth into our strategic priority (of supporting business) and assisting them."

But neighbouring councillor, Ward 6's Michael Prowse, said there are already too many A-frame signs cluttering intersections, such as Essa/Ardagh near Highway 400.

"It's a blight. Go out on the weekend. If our economic prosperity is dependent on A-frame signs, God help us all," he said. "We need to get all the third-party signs off. It's not acceptable to me and my residents to allow signs to dot our landscape. Some are safety hazards."

Ward 5 Coun. Lynn Strachan agreed the city should be taking a harder line on signs, rather than opening up city land for more.

"We should be working to reduce the visual clutter," said the Communities in Bloom committee chairperson, noting that although the city did win its category, the judges did make a note of the amount of signs. "It's wise advice to follow."