The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs has recently completed the purchase of 41.5 acres of land in northwest Spokane that will provide space to develop a new veterans home.

The property is located directly west of the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex and northwest of the Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the northwest Spokane.

The site is part of the state’s approved plan to construct a new veterans long-term care and support campus, according to a press release concerning the purchase from Spokane-based commercial real estate company Kiemle Hagood. 

The new veterans home will provide improved access to health care, better amenities, and include more space and outdoor areas. The facility would also include expanded parking, storage, staff work areas, larger single rooms for residents, and care spaces.

More details about the development plans will be shared in a Department of Veterans Affairs press release this week, says Heidi Audette, communications and legislative director for the department, in an email to the Journal.

The land for the project was purchased for $7 million, according to tax information on file with Spokane County. Funding for the land was formally approved by state lawmakers earlier this year and was provided in the capital budget as part of SB 5195, Audette says.

The new facility will be built once state and federal funding has been secured, Audette adds.

Tim Kestell, a broker with Kiemle Hagood, handled the transaction.

The current 44,900-square-foot Spokane Veterans Home, located at 222 E. Fifth, was established in 2001, according to the National Association of State Veterans Homes website.

The current facility has the capacity to serve up to 100 residents, the Department of Veterans Affairs website shows. Washington state veterans homes provide physical and occupational therapy, recreational activities, hospice, religious programs, transportation, community involvement, and other services and programs.

Gov. Bob Ferguson visited the existing veterans home in Spokane, in March, where he met with residents and saw a presentation by Director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs David Puente Jr., according to the governor's website. 

Veterans eligible for admission must need nursing home care and have served in the United States uniformed services, including the National Guard; meet discharge requirements; reside in Washington state; be the spouse of a resident or widow of an eligible veteran; or be a Gold Star Parent, the department’s website states.