Situation
Tahoma National Cemetery is a 158-acre veterans cemetery located in unincorporated King County, approximately 1.5 miles northeast of Kent, Washington. Established through a phased master plan developed in 1995, the cemetery has expanded over time to meet the growing needs of Veterans and their families throughout the Seattle–Tacoma metropolitan area.
Phase 1 developed approximately 60 acres and included cemetery buildings, entrance features, a public assembly area, committal shelters, roadways, supporting infrastructure, initial burial areas, and columbarium structures. Phase 2 added approximately 52 acres, expanding interment capacity with additional burial areas, memorial walls, an ossuary, and related infrastructure.
Solution
The Phase 3 Development will provide essential additional interment capacity, allowing Tahoma National Cemetery to continue serving eligible Veterans and their family members for approximately 15 years beyond the exhaustion of existing burial space.
The expansion encompasses approximately 43 acres of largely undeveloped, wooded land with varied topography and several small wetlands. Work includes construction of a new loop road and ten new interment areas totaling approximately 15 acres. Once complete, Phase 3 will add 28,914 new gravesites, including pre-placed crypt fields, traditional in-ground burial areas, a green burial area, columbarium structures, and designated areas for in-ground cremated remains.
In addition to expanding burial capacity, the project includes construction of satellite public restroom facilities, cemetery honor guard buildings, a maintenance yard, and an addition to the administration building. The scope also includes renovations to the existing administration building, public information center, and committal shelters, improving the overall functionality and visitor experience across the cemetery.
Notable
The Tahoma National Cemetery Phase 3 Development represents the Washington Region’s first project for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Because the project requires the general contractor to be a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Goodfellow Bros. partnered with Seabee Construction during the proposal phase to meet this requirement and deliver the project as a collaborative team.
With a contract value exceeding $70 million, construction began in November 2024 and is scheduled for completion in mid-2027. The partnership combines Seabee Construction’s specialized cemetery experience with Goodfellow Bros.’ extensive civil construction expertise, bringing together the knowledge, resources, and technical capabilities needed to successfully deliver this important expansion.
Once complete, the project will help ensure Tahoma National Cemetery can continue honoring Veterans and serving their families for years to come.
