The possibility of military functions eventually returning to Roosevelt Roads, amid tensions between the United States and Nicolás Maduro’s regime, brings the future of the former naval base in Ceiba back to the forefront. Regardless of what happens with this geopolitical angle, the debate is certainly conducive to urgently resuming an economic and social development plan that benefits the people of the East.

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This region has been hardest hit by the recession. In Ceiba, 41.5% of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the 2020 Census, and the unemployment rate has remained around 12%, according to the 2019 Municipal Recovery Plan. In Naguabo, the poverty rate reaches an alarming 54.2%, according to the socioeconomic profile of Data USA (2023). In Fajardo, it is around 39%, while in Luquillo, one in three residents survives below the poverty line, both according to estimates from the 2020 Census. These figures far exceed the island average and starkly reflect the lack of stable jobs, factory closures, precarious medical services, and poor maritime transportation to Vieques and Culebra, factors that have left the East trapped in backwardness and neglect.

For six decades, from 1943 to March 2004, Roosevelt Roads was a US military stronghold in the Caribbean. That year, after the Navy left Vieques, operations ceased and the land—some 9,300 acres—was left unused. In 2013, it was transferred to the government of Puerto Rico, with the promise, as yet unfulfilled, of becoming an economic engine for the East.

The potential of Roosevelt Roads is not a pipe dream. Companies such as Starwood Property Trust have put concrete projects on the table, such as the marina and the SW Puerto Beach ecotourism complex, which includes a hotel, 300 residences, and a recreational port. Similarly, the 11,000-foot airstrip has sparked interest in aerospace initiatives. In logistics and manufacturing, Clark Realty even presented a $3.2 billion plan that promised up to 30,000 jobs, but it was thwarted by the lack of basic infrastructure. These examples prove that the conditions exist to attract investment, but government inaction has torpedoed the opportunities.

The privileged location also makes the area a natural hub for nature and cultural tourism, with direct access to Vieques and Culebra, ecological reserves, and El Yunque Forest. The Eastern Ecological Corridor covers some 3,000 acres of land between Luquillo and Fajardo. It is home to essential habitats for endangered species such as the leatherback sea turtle, the Antillean manatee, and several migratory birds. Its coastal forests, wetlands, and coral reefs make it a unique reservoir of biodiversity in the Caribbean.

At the same time, any strategy must consider mixed and affordable housing that will allow workers and professionals to remain in the region. In short, Roosevelt Roads has all the elements to be the engine of diversified and sustainable development. The conditions of how wars are fought today, with new technologies and long-range guided weapons using state-of-the-art mechanisms, may not require intensive physical use of these facilities, so mixed use—private, public, and military—is not entirely incompatible.

The country cannot continue to squander this potential. The federal funds allocated after Hurricane Maria and the energy and water infrastructure projects are a starting point that must be managed with strategic vision. Roosevelt Roads cannot become a space subject to short-term responses, but rather the hub of a new revitalizing development that generates stable jobs, diversifies the economy, and protects the environmental value of the East.

The central government and the Roosevelt Roads Redevelopment Authority have an urgent responsibility to coordinate resources, attract investment, and execute projects that transcend political cycles. Puerto Rico needs this space to cease being a monument to neglect and finally become a symbol of the future.

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This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.