The building complex "Der Neue Zollhof" completed in 1998/1999 by architect Frank Gehry became the flagship of the new location. It soon became apparent that the office space offered was too large to be used exclusively by media companies. The area has also become interesting for business consultants, estate agents and fashion companies. The architect's chamber of North Rhine-Westphalia is located in the house of the architects. In total, the 600 or so companies offer about 7600 jobs. With around 16% of the leased space, lawyers and consultants provide the most users. Media companies account for only 9% of users. Since the early 2000s, companies in the fashion industry have also had distribution centers and showrooms, including Pepe Jeans London, Tommy Hilfiger, the Sixty Group, Hugo Boss, Tod's and Guess. Around 40 dining outlets, clubs, lounges and a large cinema make the Medienhafen even in the evening a lively district and a leisure alternative to the old town. Since 2005 the herbal liqueur Killepitsch has been produced in the glass factory.
The third stage of development also provides for high-quality residential development. Due to the proximity to the industrial companies in the port, this is controversial.
In the north (at the Rheinturm, for example), the Medienhafen flows fluidly into the government district, which was developed parallel to the Medienhafen project.
Since the beginning of 2014 the tram 719 is going to the Medienhafen. For this purpose, new track bodies, turning loop and turnouts were created. The new route leads from the central station on the new loop Bilker church over Gladbacher road past the new stop "Speditionstraße" and ends at the stop "Kesselstraße"