Bonner Data Center
Update: Missoula County received the following message from Mike Heisey, who owns the building the proposed data center would be in:
"After hearing from the public and understanding what the concerns are, I have decided to withdraw my signature from the Krambu special exception application. Bonner Property will not be moving forward with the data center proposed by them. We appreciate the public's feedback and will continue to actively pursue clients for the mill site. Thank you. Mike Heisey"
This development means the project will not move forward.
Missoula County is reviewing a proposed data center at 9314 Bonner Miller Road as a Special Exception described in Section 11.6.D. of the Missoula County Zoning Regulations. The property is zoned for heavy industrial use.
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 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: Missoula County has requested more information
Application status: Fifth 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.
June 1, 2026: Fifth Special Exception Application - deemed incomplete
- The applicant submitted a special exception application. County staff determined that more information was needed before public review could begin.
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.
Let us know what you think by logging in or creating an account and submitting your comment below.
Update: Missoula County received the following message from Mike Heisey, who owns the building the proposed data center would be in:
"After hearing from the public and understanding what the concerns are, I have decided to withdraw my signature from the Krambu special exception application. Bonner Property will not be moving forward with the data center proposed by them. We appreciate the public's feedback and will continue to actively pursue clients for the mill site. Thank you. Mike Heisey"
This development means the project will not move forward.
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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June 1 - Fifth Special Exception Application - deemed incomplete
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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
The Data centers that will lead to America's Doom. Here's Why.
https://youtu.be/wv3r6lDWQ8w?si=dJ1KGaz-z6FDyQht
Erin Brockovich is taking on a New Issue: AI Data Centers.
https://youtu.be/dWNNgltZSlA?si=5BhQiezKbTgidlG9
BI investigated the footprint of 1k+ #datacenters to see real-life consequences of #ai. #tech
Business Insider
https://youtube.com/shorts/7rEzhCwPhqc?si=-3dZgbgHS4zcCFuL
Please vote No AI
Data Centers
What is are
Cost to our
Missoula to our Montana?
https://youtu.be/dWNNgltZSlA?si=ZACLQ2HL0AH5VXha
I am vehemently opposed to an AI data center in Bonner. It’s an egregious use of resources for a useless and unnecessary purpose . It will result in less quality of life for the residents with the increased noise and a resultant decrease in their property values. It is a strain on water supply and doesnt belong in Montana which is known for its natural habitat and the recreation that brigs to its residents and tourists . Prices of energy will rise for local residents beyond Bonner. Already NW energy prices for electricity are increasing as of July1 st. Subsidies for solar are gone under this present administration. NO, NO, NO !
At what Cost?
For temporary out workers?
Are water ?
Are Air?
Are wild life?
Are taxes?
Are electricity?
Are health?
And when they want to expand then what?
At what cost is MONTANA To You?
Please save are Missoula.
Say No to AI Data Centers!
https://youtu.be/t-8TDOFqkQA?si=p1jryP-XFUr0VVeQ
At what Cost?
Are water ?
Are Air?
Are wild life?
Are taxes?
Are electricity?
Are health?
And when they want to expand?
At what cost is MONTANA To You?
https://youtu.be/t-8TDOFqkQA?si=p1jryP-XFUr0VVeQ
Thank you to Jennie Dixon, Svein Newman, and all the Missoula County staff who contributed to the excellent analysis of Krambu's proposal and it's severe insufficiencies. I urge the Missoula County Commissioners to institute county-wide interim zoning that declares an emergency and prohibits data centers anywhere in the County, and only lifts that zoning if all necessary regulations are put into place. I appreciate the efforts of the County to ensure that our communities and environment are protected. Thanks. Neva Hassanein
Why should our local waterway be compromised just to generate more wealth for some people I've never heard of? The people of Missoula Valley and the surrounding area need clean water and a healthy ecosystem, not more senseless development for the 1%. What are we going to drink when the water runs out? We can't drink data centers. Listen to the people: no Bonner data center.
To Whom it May Concern,
This data center would not be a benefit to the local community here in Missoula and Bonner. Please do not proceed with this project. I have concerns with excessive energy use, excessive water use, noise pollution, and environmental risks. Montana is a state of natural beauty and folks live here and care about this place for that reason. We don't need this pollution on one of our local rivers. Please do not let this data center construction proceed.
A data center should not be built in Bonner, full stop. Data Centers will increase the burden on Missoula County Residents, adding to already high electricity and utility bills. The economic benefits to the county, if any, will be short-lived--a handful of short-term construction jobs will not outweigh the economic and environmental costs of adding a data center. Montana has already been in thrall to rich industrialists with little to no regard for local communities and we only need to look to the Berkely Pit to see how that turned out, over 100 years later we are still paying to fix their short-sighted mistakes. Vote no to approve the permit for this data center. We do not need it and we do not want it.
A direct quote from the Missoula County website: “Today, we are gathered together in the homelands of the Salish and Kalispel people. We respect their tribal ways and their stories. We are thankful for their ancestors and for the people today. Today we are caring for this land for those yet coming.
A land acknowledgement is a statement that acknowledges and honors the indigenous heritage and stewardship of the land in which an event takes place or an institution has jurisdiction.
Missoula County government uses a land acknowledgement to ground everything it does in the understanding that the cultural landscape of this place is connected to the Séliš-Ql̓ispé people. This statement is a foundation for respect, education, and awareness to build upon in concrete actions, not an end unto itself.”
Please read that statement from your own website and then try to say that this data center should be set in Bonner on the Blackfoot River.
It is painfully obvious this center doesn’t belong here (obvious to everyone other than the very few people who stand to profit). Like the county states in what I shared: stewardship of the land is a value here. It is also stated the land acknowledgment will “ground everything” the county does.
I strongly oppose this proposal, and if the county is paying attention to their own words, they do too.
This proposed center is bad for the community, environment, and economy. A recent paper out of the University of Michigan found that data centers:
Increase utility costs: "Data centers increase local electric utility rates by driving up overall
energy demand, which can strain grid capacity and force utilities to invest in costly infrastructure
upgrades. These costs are passed on to residents through higher rates."
Consume a high amount of natural resources: "A single data center can consume up to 2 megawatt hours of power—equivalent to the power used by 2,000 homes—and millions of gallons of water annually for cooling, straining local resources and infrastructure."
Don't deliver promised economic benefits: "Tax breaks for data centers do not deliver the promised economic benefits, such as high-paying jobs, and they reduce local tax revenues, while shifting financial burdens onto communities and schools."
Approving this center relies putting good faith in an industry that has shown NONE OF IT back to the communities they prey on.
Data centers exist to advance AI.
AI exists to mine data so rich people get richer (exponentially).
This is not a net good for Montana or Montanans.
Our waterways and river-adjacent sites are precious natural resources. I’m very disappointed that we’re even considering using the Blackfoot as a water source for a data center. I oppose this proposed site.
Well, in over 300 comments that this discussion has brought forth from the community, I have not seen A SINGLE ONE that is actually for these data centers. So I guess that solves it! We will NOT be having a data center put anywhere near us in Montana!
Discussion over! Project rejected!
P.S.
If it is not rejected, the community members will be investigating whoever voted yes to this preposterous, disastrous project.
Thank you!
I am strongly opposed to the Board approving this Special Exception Application for the Bonner data center project. At its most basic, I oppose the construction of data centers in Missoula County on environmental and financial grounds. I would expect this project to increase utility costs as well as put immense pressure on our already precarious water resources. The source of the industrial water right for this project is the Blackfoot River, meaning the data center would draw from this river for coolant during the period when water levels are already lowest in the hottest months of the year. I cannot abide the idea of drawing precious water out of this invaluable waterway for the purposes of cooling a data center that doesn't benefit residents in any way. The Blackfoot River is incredible important to my family's recreation and enjoyment, and I object strongly to it being threatened by this needless project that offers nothing of value to Missoula County residents. Please reject this special use request.
It is not our job to figure out what should be there instead; but you know what would be absolutely excellent to have across from a school? A hospital. We also could use a police department; an even wilder idea... why not give Bonner-Milltown a high-school and a large library. Put a pedestrian bridge across the road. Keep the kids safe when crossing and not impede traffic. I am wondering why we can't have nice things out here like this, and instead it's every other get-rich-quick scheme from truck stops, mining, gravel pits and data centers? Folks out here want good paying jobs, access to clean water and air. Improvements to QOL, green space and parks. Quaint little shops that are ran by locals.
Show the community that educated and concerned officials are in charge of that board meeting. That you have read and seen what these centers are and what effect it will have on the community and resources.
There currently is no laws, rules or regulations for AI itself and for the centers being built.
What will the cost be saying no until it’s proven it is safe and beneficial for the people and resources.
What will the cost be if you say yes?
Your names will be remembered with these decisions. Your continued support will be based on these decisions.
I urge the Board to deny the Special Exception permit for the Krambu data center at Bonner Mill.
Missoula County planners have already deemed this application incomplete three times, demonstrating the developer is not being transparent about their true impacts.
This project plans to scale up to 100 megawatts. This massive drain risks driving up NorthWestern Energy bills for everyday Montana residential ratepayers.
The evaporative cooling towers threaten our local aquifer and the Blackfoot River corridor with heavy water consumption.
Finally, this provides virtually zero permanent jobs for our community while introducing constant industrial noise and environmental risks.Your role is to protect Bonner’s residents and Montana's natural resources, not out-of-state corporations.
I am a Missoula County resident. Please vote No on this permit. Thank you.
I am a Missoula County resident. This is no way shape or forms benefits the community of Missoula, Bonner, or the surrounding communities. This is an excuse to line county officials pockets. It will not benefit the community. It will harm the beautiful Blackfoot, reduce recreation opportunities, and potentially have harmful effects on the health of the Blackfoot River. In addition, I imagine a rise in water costs as well as energy costs will be a given too. Property values in Bonner will be destroyed as well. In no way shape or form does a data center have a place anywhere near Missoula or anywhere near our exceptionally special bodies of water. I oppose this whole heartedly and I promise that if this data center is approved I will ensure that everything standing county official never gets another vote from me. Don’t forget you are public servants and nothing else.
Removed by moderator.