Construction begins on Veterans Affairs clinic in Silverdale

KITSAP, Wash. -- Construction has begun on the long-awaited Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Silverdale.

The Kitsap Sun reports that crews broke ground Monday morning on the clinic that should be completed in about one year.

The clinic was originally slated to be built in Bremerton, but that project was shuttered when the prospective building was found to be out of compliance with federal seismic standards.

The VA Puget Sound for years has sought to build a larger clinic in Kitsap County to address the backlog and long wait times at the existing 6,000-square-foot clinic in Bremerton.

The future Silverdale clinic will be 15,000 square feet (1,393 square meters) with a large lobby, a covered drop-off area and a parking lot of more than 90 spots.