Davisville, July 10, 2023: Downtown projects propose 460 new homes, 80 new parking spaces

Three separate housing proposals have recently emerged that would add about 460 apartments and live/work lofts at three locations on G Street downtown, from 2nd Street near the Amtrak station north to the former Hibbert Lumber property on 5th. You can find the applicants’ plans and illustrations on the city’s projects website. One feature that immediately stands out is the idea of building most of these new homes without parking for cars.

Our guest today, Steve Streeter, has a background in planning and recently completed two terms on the Davis Planning Commission. He has no stake in any of the proposals. We talk about what’s proposed, context, why these projects are emerging now, and how the city's downtown plan and new state laws that encourage homebuilding are influencing these developments.

For all of you milestone enthusiasts: Eight songs about 600, on A Constant Grin

Chris Mussen devoted the 600th episode of his program A Constant Grin to previously unknown musicians performing eight farther-afield songs, each with "600" in their name. Six hundred strokes, 600 miles, $600 short on rent ... you get the idea. It's a lot of fun.

"600 shows," he says. "It's pretty crazy, even for me, and I made all of them."

Chris includes his ruminations on 15 years of indie rock broadcasting free of charge.

Timeout Radio explores UC Davis

On this edition of Timeout Radio, explore how a 5,300-acre university came to exist in the little farm town that was Davisville, Calif. Davis was designated as a University of California campus in 1959 and is now the largest campus in the UC system. Find out how its mascot Gunrock got his name and why the campus has red London double-deck buses. UC Davis Chancellor Gary May tells us about his path to engineering, his humongous comic book collection, and his favorite Star Trek character.

Then visit London, where Big Ben's clock is still adjusted with an old penny, and where half the London Underground is actually above the ground.

Paul Simon explains his vision of mortality, June 30, 2023

This week's guest is Paul Simon via his latest musical release, Seven Psalms. By sculpting his lyrics into his music, he explains his thoughts on mortality and his observations on life. This album has no majestic orchestrations as in Bridge Over Troubled Water, or snappy happy dance tunes, as so many of his songs do. Mr. Simon shares his thoughts and asks you to listen.

I imagined myself listening under a canopy of stars. He brings up reflections of his life we all see and feel in our own lives, and he admits we all interpret in our own way. His version is facinating.

Implosion explained: 'You don't want to hear the same old stuff all the time, do you?'

Host Nick Saloman says he has received some feedback for this new show, Implosion. “I’ve had an email saying that, you know, they like it, but it’s a bit obscure. But then, you know, you don’t want to hear the same old stuff all the time, do you?”

We certainly don’t! KDRT exists partly so that we don’t have to hear the same old stuff. And we're not alone.

“We’re going to start, as is my want, with an instrumental," he says at the top of this week's program. "This is by the Syd Dale Orchestra. They did a lot of stuff for TV, and soundtrack stuff in the ‘60s, and Syd Dale was bandleader from York. This is a bit of a stormer for a TV show called The Hell Raisers, which came out in 1966 on the Decca record label.”

To continue this escapade, listen to this week’s Implosion.

Meraki Radio marks five years of shows about people working 'with soul, creativity or love'

Meraki Radio turns 5 years old this month. This KDRT program, hosted by Alison B, airs each Tuesday at 12:30 p.m., with repeats broadcast on Fridays at 8 a.m. Or you can listen online! Meraki (may-rah-kee) refers to doing something with soul, creativity, or love, and recent episodes display the variety of subjects Meraki Radio typically presents -- check 'em out, or go deeper into the vaults:

Death rituals

Gun violence in the context of suicide

• Men's health, focusing on prostate cancer, part 1 and part 2

Debra McCarthy, on living with HIV since 1986

Kate returns, and we talk gardening and crafting

• The Women Infants Children supplemental nutrition program, a discussion with professionals and participants