Bonner Data Center
Update 6/8/2026:
The Bonner Data Center project developer is continuing to finalize materials for presentation to the Missoula County Consolidated Land Use Board (MCCLUB). At this time, the public hearing schedule is to be determined, pending receipt of a complete application.
You can sign up to follow this project at the right-hand side on this page. When the new date is determined for the MCCLUB public hearing, project followers and commenters will receive an email.
This project will be reviewed by the Missoula County Consolidated Land Use Board (MCCLUB). This land use board holds their public hearing meetings on the first Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. in the Sophie Moiese room of the Missoula County Courthouse. There may occasionally be a second meeting in the month, which will usually be the third Wednesday. There will be prior notice. These meetings are always open to the public.
The meeting agenda and related documents will be published on the Consolidated Land Use Board page.
Project overview
Missoula County is reviewing a proposed data center at 9314 Bonner Mill Road. The property is zoned industrial.
The proposal involves reusing a portion of the former mill building — commonly referred to as the planer building — for a high-performance computing (HPC) data center. This means most of the development would occur inside the existing structure, with no major expansion of the building footprint. Interior improvements would include constructing specialized rooms to house computer servers and supporting equipment.
The proposed data center would operate continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days per week, with minimal on-site staffing and relatively limited vehicle traffic associated primarily with maintenance and service visits.
The cooling system consists of a combination of adiabatic and evaporative cooling towers. The evaporative units would use water supplied from the site's existing fire suppression well rather than the domestic well system serving nearby residences. The applicant has indicated that no backup generators are proposed in the event of power outage.
The initial phase of the facility is expected to use approximately 7 megawatts (MW) of electrical power, with the potential to expand over time to utilize up to 29 MW, which is the estimated capacity currently available at the site.
Project summary
Current step: Special exception review
Application status: Third application submitted; Missoula County has requested more information.
Expected hearing: Postponed until further notice
- This project will be reviewed by the Missoula County Consolidated Land Use Board (MCCLUB). This land use board holds their public hearing meetings on the first Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. in the Sophie Moiese room of the Missoula County Courthouse. There may occasionally be a second meeting in the month, which will usually be the third Wednesday. There will be prior notice. These meetings are always open to the public.
What is being reviewed in this project proposal?
The Special Exception review is required when the use, because of location, scale, required infrastructure or other potential impacts, requires a special degree of consideration and control to ensure such uses are consistent and compatible with the overall community character and whether potential impacts can be avoided or mitigated.
This page has been updated to reflect revised staff analysis of the scope of review. The Missoula County Consolidated Land Use Board (MCCLUB) must not approve a special exception unless and until they find the project application demonstrates all of the following:
The proposed use or development will be compatible with and will not substantially injure the value of adjoining property.
The proposed use preserves the character of the district, and the property is suitable for the proposed use (e.g. can meet the bulk and dimensional standards without requiring a variance).
The proposed use promotes the purpose and intent of the TIF Special District, where appropriate.
Substitute or additional design standards will preserve and protect the area’s architectural and aesthetic qualities.
In reviewing a Special Exception application MCCLUB shall give due consideration to the following:
a) Access, traffic, parking demand, non-motorized transportation and onsite vehicle circulation
b) Dedication and development of streets, rights of way, and public use areas, such as adjoining sidewalks
c) Impacts on or of public and private utilities or services
d) Proposed siting of any new structures necessary to accommodate the use and their relationship to adjoining and surrounding properties
e) Recreation opportunities and open lands available to serve the use
f) Natural resource protections
g) Landscaping and screening requirements
h) Signage and street lighting
i) Noise, vibration, outdoor lighting and other on and offsite impacts from the use
j) Frequency of use and hours of operation
k) Area of land necessary and adequacy of the site to accommodate the use and meet the intent of the district and character of the neighborhood
l) How the proposed use addresses the purpose of the TIF Special District intended to attract, retain, grow and develop secondary value-adding industries
m) Any other unique or relevant circumstances related to the property.
The burden to demonstrate compliance with these criteria falls to the applicant, not the County or MCCLUB.
Reasonable and appropriate conditions may be required to ensure that any potentially injurious effect of the Special Exception on adjoining properties, the character of the neighborhood, the purpose and intent of the TIF Special District, or the health, safety and general welfare of the community will be minimized. Conditions much be based on the criteria for review.
Zoning compliance permit
If a special exception is approved, the developers must apply for a zoning compliance permit. The permit application must demonstrate compliance with the County's data center zoning regulations, including requirements for new renewable energy and e-waste recycling. Zoning compliance permits are subject to administrative review and do not go through public hearing process.
Project review timeline
March 2026: Initial Contact
- Krambu and Missoula County Planning first discussed the proposed data center project.
March 25, 2026: First Special Exception Application - deemed incomplete
- The applicant submitted the first Special Exception application. County staff determined that more information was needed before public review could begin.
April 28, 2026: Second Special Exception Application - deemed incomplete
- The applicant submitted additional materials. County staff continued reviewing the application and identified remaining information needed for completeness.
May 11, 2026: Third Special Exception Application - deemed incomplete
- The applicant submitted a special exception application. Applicant has notified the county that a new application packet will be made available.
Date to be determined based on application completeness: Public Notice Period
- The County will mail notices to property owners within 500 feet, publish a legal notice, and post notices near the property.
Date to be determined based on application completeness: Consolidated Land Use Board Hearing
- The Consolidated Land Use Board is expected to consider the Special Exception request.
Date to be determined based on application completeness: Possible Permit Review
- If approved, Krambu may then apply for a Zoning Compliance Permit and other required permits.
How can I participate?
Community members are encouraged to stay informed and provide public comment. Comments are most helpful when they address the topics the Land Use Board may consider during Special Exception review, especially potential impacts to nearby residential properties.
Follow this project page if you want be emailed when there are updates with this project.
Who's Listening
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Phone 406-258-4946 -
Climate Action Program Manager
Missoula County Planning, Development and Sustainability
Phone (406) 258-3442
Documents
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May 11 – Third Special Exception Application – deemed incomplete
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complete_special-exception-application 032526 (1).pdf (9.04 MB) (pdf)
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Supplemental Narrative 5-26.pdf (27.3 KB) (pdf)
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Supplemental Information-4-27-26.pdf (10.5 MB) (pdf)
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Supplemental information 5_26.pdf (1.14 MB) (pdf)
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Bonner Site Plan COMPLETE.pdf (411 KB) (pdf)
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heat study site plan_Washinton example.pdf (553 KB) (pdf)
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April 28 – Second Special Exception Application – deemed incomplete
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March 25 – First Special Exception Application - deemed incomplete
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Correspondence
While this may seem like a solution for issues in our community, this is at best a short term band-aid and will do nothing to address the root of those problems. The long term effects of this data center will be disastrous, other communities are already seeing the negative impacts on the environment and the health and wellbeing of the community and I cannot understand why we would choose to put one in our home knowing that.
I disagree with this project and think there is much more meaningful way to create jobs for our community!
Do not build your environmental hacksaw in our town. Your useless product does nothing but ruin lives. Do not destroy our water and wildlife for money you do not need. You will make living in Bonner unbearable while destroying a beautiful environment.
Stay away from Montana. We value our wildlife and being able to float the rivers and lakes. We do not want you here.
A datacenter this close to a residential neighborhood is absolutely unacceptable. There are serious health risks to our community members. A datacenter also won’t bring in more than a handful of jobs as the expense of raising our infrastructure costs. We don’t want it!
As a Bonner resident, and Mama, I do not want this across the street from my house. Sound waves we cannot hear still have an effect on the body. If it's not supposed to be in a residential area why would they put it directly across the street from a historical residential neighborhood? It just doesn't make sense. Keep it somewhere that people dont live and wont be effected.
This is absolutely unacceptable. Datacenters cannot be located this close to residential neighborhoods. The high amount of noise pollution will cause the citizens in the surrounding areas to suffer from chronic illness. It will additionally negatively impact our local wildlife. This is not ok. You must not allow this to happen.
Power bills are up as it is, we just wrapped up a winter with barely any snow, and the potential health impacts of infrasound emitted from data centers are legitimately terrifying. The most positive thing that could come out of this is a handful of local construction jobs to build the facility. Once that's done, the only people who benefit financially from an AI data center are the people who own the land and equipment, give or take a maintenance specialist or two flown in from out of state.
And for what? So some 22-year-old in Silicon Valley can vibe code a face-scanning app and sell that data to the feds? Bonner and the rest of Missoula County deserve better than that.
Data centers do not create long-term economic benefits for the communities in which they operate, they extract valuable resources, and they contribute to pollution, among other negative impacts. I would urge the Board to reject any data center proposal regardless of location, but especially so close to a residential area the choice is clear. Even with the cryptocurrency zoning regulations, the harms far outweigh the benefits.
I strongly oppose the approval of this data center project so close to a residential neighborhood, a school, and a vulnerable river environment. There are countless other businesses that could go into this warehouse space that would better serve our community without the added risk and environmental blight that AI data centers have a track record of causing.
This data center is in no way worth it. Don’t let it happen.
This is not acceptable use of our resources. Unless they are paying every citizen for use of our lands and water and electricity we do not need any data centers.. at all... No This is just bad planning for an even worse reason...
I am absolutely 100% against this proposal! I am against data centers anywhere in Montana, let alone in this county! I cannot imagine the damage this would cause. NO!
Removed by moderator.
This project will add nothing to our community. AI and the infrastructure it requires is inherently exploitative and extractive, and will only strain our resources. A lack of transparency and inflated (or entirely fabricated) promises are the industry standard.
Please do not allow this! This is only going to harm our community and raise prices. This is only the beginning of data centers being built in Montana, we have to resist NOW! Our town and community depend on this not happening. Please please please do not allow this to be built
We are totally against this , these data centers suck up all our water 💦 use power that we pay for and RUIN OUR PLANET YOU DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU BUILD AT . It’s all about money and power and screw the places and land that you build these data centers at .NO NO NO STAY OUTA OF MONTANA WE DONT WANT UOU HERE .
Please please please reconsider this data center. There is a reason communities across America are trying to fight them—they use up and poison our water (see the communities in Oregon and Memphis), they create constant grating noise and will disturb those living in the area, the wildlife, and any concert goers. This data center will not bring in more jobs. It won’t bring any value to Missoula or Bonner, and from what I can tell there are no guarantees this company will do anything to help prevent these issues from coming up. In conclusion, this is an incredibly bad idea that needs to be reconsidered.
I strongly oppose the placement of this AI data center. Drawing large amounts of water from a well in an area that is already ecologically stressed is irresponsible and short-sighted. Groundwater is not an unlimited resource, and further depletion risks long-term damage to the local environment and surrounding community.
It is even more troubling that this project is being built on land that has already suffered significant ecological harm.
The claim that this project is sustainable is hard to take seriously when even its own proponents admit what they are planning has never been done before. That is not reassurance. It is a warning sign. Sustainability is not a label to apply to an untested concept. Innovation at the cost of the community is a one sided bargain. These concepts should be demonstrated through evidence, transparency, and proven outcomes, and the communities like those in Washington, should have a voice. Relying on the eloquent marketing of a business looking to cash in on AI, is insufficient.
Innovation has its place, but not when it involves extracting groundwater from an already stressed ecosystem and placing the burden of uncertainty on a local community, especially one that includes a nearby school. If this approach fails or falls short of its promises in any way, which is almost guaranteed, the environmental and social consequences will be immediate, irreparable, and local.
Placing such a resource-intensive industrial facility within feet of a school raises serious concerns about noise, air quality, safety, and the overall well-being of students. Schools should be protected spaces, not neighbors to infrastructure that may pose significant environmental and health risks.
This project reflects a failure to prioritize community health, environmental stewardship, and responsible planning. We remember when tax payers shelled out the money to remove the Bonner Dam, and here we are creating a new catastrophe. This project should be reconsidered, and if allowed prepare to have the entirety of the local populace up in arms about it. The answer from the community is an unequivocal no.
No! This would affect the people so largely that you should listen to the people. We don’t want AI, we don’t need AI. Sure it can be cool but clean drinking water and lower living prices are cooler. 100% no on this. Keep montana beautiful. I hope this right choice is made here. Someone has to still care about the environment right?