At its heart is the former Vaux site, now home to new landmark buildings such as City Hall, Maker & Faber and The Beam.
But, it once lay empty for years after the closure of the brewery in 1999.
Supermarket giant Tesco bought the 26-acre site in 2001 to trigger a decade of legal wrangling over its future use.
It was eventually purchased in 2011 by Sunderland City Council with Tesco deciding instead to build a new branch north of the water in Roker Avenue.
We take a look at those ten years and how the site has changed, with photos taken by Echo photographers over the years.
5. New chapter
More views of the preliminary works to ready the land for development. | Sunderland Echo
6. How it looked in 2013
A view of the work to reroute Livingstone Road and St Mary's Way, creating a new pedestrian area in front of the Magistrates Court, which is now Keel Sqaure. | Sunderland Echo
7. Looking to the future
A Sunderland City Council engineer surveying the former Vaux site, after it was taken over by the local authority after years of wrangling. | Sunderland Echo
8. Planning for change
In 2015, plans went on show in The Bridges to show how the land could be transformed. | Sunderland Echo