Plans in motion to expand Willamette National Cemetery to Salem 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is evaluating a $3 million parcel of Salem farmland to potentially double the size of the Portland Willamette National Cemetery.

The 307-acre property at 3515 Howell Prairie Road S.E. is east of Salem and north of Aumsville in the Waldo Hills off Highway 22. The land is currently owned by a Washington vineyard property management company, Winemakers Investment Properties LLC.

A cemetery expansion would create more burial options for veterans in the Willamette Valley, and ensure veterans in the region continue to have “reasonable access” to burial options, according to a Sept. 16 letter from VA Project Development Services Division Director Glenn Elliot.  

The VA is conducting an environmental assessment of the site, according to the letter. The timeline for the project is unclear.

The vineyard company’s manager, Paul Lukas, said the VA’s letter was the first he heard of their interest to acquire the property.

Lukas said the property is “strictly a farming operation,” and is not currently for sale.

Established in 1950, the Willamette National Cemetery covers 307.6 acres roughly 10 miles southeast of downtown Portland and holds around 200,000 veterans and family members. It is one of four national cemeteries in Oregon, interring veterans from World War I and II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War and other conflicts. 

The cemetery is still taking burials, but it is unclear when it will reach capacity. 

The VA National Cemetery Administration, which oversees national cemeteries, considers within 75 miles of the veteran’s last known residence reasonable access to burial.  

The environmental assessment of the land is the second step out of six in establishing a new cemetery. 

VA spokesman Gary Kunich could not provide any additional information about the expansion proposal beyond Elliot’s letter. 

Scott Batchelder, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, whose district includes most of Salem, said the office also did not have any further information about the project. U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum’s office also did not provide any information about the project. Her district includes most of east Marion County.

If the site is approved after the assessment, the VA can then move forward to acquire the property. They may purchase the land – which was appraised at $3.2 million in 2024. In some cases, land for national cemeteries is donated. 

Lukas said the company hasn’t made any determinations about the property or whether they’d accept an offer. 

The VA is accepting public comment during the environmental assessment. Comments can be made by email at [email protected], using the subject line, “Willamette National Cemetery Project EA Scoping.”

Have a news tip? Contact reporter Hailey Cook: [email protected] or (208) 515-4097.

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