More than 50 people turned out for a March 25 town hall updating the community on the progress of a Tri-Cities State Veterans Cemetery.

The Washington Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced its preferred site for the proposed cemetery: a 140-acre parcel in the Horn Rapids area of Richland, off Highway 240.

The site has all the features the department is looking for, from good visibility and accessibility off Highway 240 to serenity and safety from flood concerns, officials said at the town hall.

The city of Richland offered the parcel for a no-cost transfer to WDVA for the cemetery in August 2025.  

A pre-design concept image shows an envisioned layout of the future cemetery, including curving roads and walkways and several burial sections centered around a U.S. flag and an amphitheater lawn.  

The state Department of Veterans Affairs’ preferred site for its Tri-Cities cemetery is in the Horn Rapids area off Highway 240 in Richland.

| Courtesy state Department of Veterans Affairs 

Currently, Washington’s only state veterans cemetery is in Medical Lake, near Spokane. The Tri-Cities cemetery would serve about 46,000 veterans and families in the region.

“This announcement is the culmination of the support received from the Tri-Cities veterans community,” said WDVA Director David Puente Jr. in a statement. “It is inspiring to see veterans coming together championing this project alongside their elected officials from all levels of government. I look forward to our work together as this dream becomes a reality.”

In 2017, WDVA identified the Tri-Cities region as an area of need for a state veterans cemetery, and by 2024, the organization began identifying suitable land. In November 2025, WDVA began a pre-design study and evaluated two potential sites before deciding on the Richland site.  

The pre-design report will be finalized by May 21, then, if the site is found to be suitable, WDVA will work with Richland on the land transfer process. Once the land is owned by WDVA, the organization will work to secure state funding for site improvements and 10% construction matching funds and will also apply for funding through the National Cemetery Administration to pay for 90% of the construction project.

Go to: dva.wa.gov/tri-cities-cemetery.