The Navy base at Sabana Seca is still owned by the Navy but they are still undecided about what to do with it. It was closed in 2003.
NSGA Sábana Seca in Toa Baja, on the island’s northern coast, was a national and fleet communications center, which also provided air search and rescue service. Officially, NSGA Sabana Seca is now in “caretaker status,” which means the U.S. Navy is still analyzing how to dispose of the property. Meanwhile, limited maintenance activities are being provided on site by Department of Defense (DOD) security personnel and private contractors.
NSGA Sábana Seca’s estimated 2,250 acres are divided into north and south tracts. The north track comprises 918 acres and housed support facilities, such as administration, supply, healthcare, recreational, housing, and retail services. The remaining south tract 1,332 acres accommodated the U.S. naval radar station, for U.S. Navy and other DOD communication services.
A pineapple and grapefruit plantation, known as the Stephenson Place, NSGA Sábana Seca procured the land during World War II to establish a naval ammunition depot. After the war, the depot was deactivated and the property transferred to the U.S. Army, and reassigned to the U.S. Navy in 1949. According to the U.S. Navy, the reason for closing the base is the fact that advances in technology have made it obsolete.