Red Hook, Nets for Sale, E-Bikes, Con-Con and a Pod Hotel
Your weekly roundup of the latest Brooklyn business news, from The Bridge and its media colleagues
Susan Povich, owner of The Red Hook Lobster Pound (Photo by Timothy Fadek)
Five years after Hurricane Sandy, Red Hook, Brooklyn, is thriving, but faces the future wrath of the sea: a three-part special report. A Chinese e-commerce tycoon is reportedly buying 49% of the Brooklyn Nets. In our latest podcast episode, we chat with Peter Shapiro, founder of Brooklyn Bowl. E-bikes draw the wrath of pedestrians, but what about the people who need them? Why New Yorkers shouldn’t be afraid of a Con-Con. What’s a pod hotel and why does it have baggage? Bribery scams, and more.
1. Red Hook after Sandy: flourishing but vulnerable
Special report, part 1: How one Brooklyn community confronts the threat of future storms and rising sea levels. Read more. [The Bridge]
2. The remarkable recovery of business in Red Hook
Special report, part 2: Five years after Sandy, the scrappy proprietors tell how they fought their way back–and how they’ll deal with rising seas. Read more. [The Bridge]
3. A tale of two dwellings in the flood zone of Red Hook
Special report, part 3: Five years after Sandy, a luxury condo and a giant housing project have something in common–preparing for the next one. Read more. [The Bridge]
4. Alibaba co-founder Joseph Tsai to buy 49% of Brooklyn Nets
The executive vice chairman of the Chinese e-commerce company will buy the minority stake for roughly $1.13 billion, with an option to become majority owner of the franchise in 2021, according to the report. Read more. [Yahoo Sports]
5. E-bikes: a crackdown is nigh, but what's the fallout for riders?
As mayor de Blasio plans a crackdown on e-bikes, BKLYNER launches a series of stories on how they enable vulnerable populations to live in the city, whether they’re delivery people or the disabled. Read more. [BKYLNER]
6. Podcast: a chat with Peter Shapiro, founder of Brooklyn Bowl
In the latest edition of our podcast, From Day One, we talk with the wunderkind nightclub impresario who created a whole new kind of venue. Listen here. [From Day One]
7. Why New Yorkers shouldn’t be afraid of a Con-Con
If voters approve a Constitutional Convention, despite all the voices urging them to ‘vote no,’ this could be the start of fixing a broken system. Read more. [The Bridge]
8. What Is a pod hotel and what is it doing in Brooklyn?
The micro-room hotel will bring affordable lodging to Williamsburg–as well as some baggage. Read more. [The Bridge]
9. 14 arrests for bribery scheme involving NYC building inspectors
Fourteen people, including two city inspectors and a certified asbestos investigator, were busted Win three bribery schemes that resulted in shady inspections and construction work at properties across the city. Read more. [New York Post]
10. Brooklyn-based journo startup raises $2.5 million, hires editor
Civil, which imagines a world of news consumers paying for their content via blockchain, is starting to take shape. Read more. [Technical.ly Brooklyn]
