Using the radio callsign "PEPPER", the Sydney station consisted of a radome housing the early warning and ground control intercept radars, as well as supporting buildings including residences for personnel.

Following the 1958 partnership between the USAF and RCAF to form the North American Aerospace Defence Command or NORAD, many Pinetree Line radar stations were upgraded for automation and consolidation of intercept data.

Consequently, RCAF Station Sydney's radar equipment underwent an upgrade in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the operational implementation of the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) System on September 15, 1962.

It was subsequently transferred to the Municipality of the County of Cape Breton which established a non-profit development company named New Dawn Enterprises Ltd. to market the buildings and residences for civilian use.

New Dawn Enterprises Ltd. saw limited success in seeing alternative uses for the facility, partly due to the economic decline of the Industrial Cape Breton region.

A subsequent investigation by the Department of National Defence identified 35 other underground fuel storage tanks on the property, some of which were also leaking.