Bonner Data Center

Project overview

Missoula County has received an application for a proposed data center facility to be located at the Bonner Mill site at 9314 Bonner Mill Road. The project is being reviewed through a Special Exception process because it is located near residential properties.

The proposal involves reusing a portion of the former mill building — commonly referred to as the planer building — for data center operations. 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 primary new exterior components of the project would be cooling systems to regulate equipment temperature. These cooling units, sometimes referred to as cooling towers, would be installed next to the existing building. According to the application, these systems would operate continuously to support the data center.

Data centers are facilities that store and process digital information and typically operate 24 hours a day with minimal on-site staffing. The applicant has indicated that after construction, traffic to and from the site would be limited to periodic maintenance and service visits.

Project process

The site is zoned Industrial Center, Heavy. A data center would be an allowed use on the property. However, Missoula County has additional zoning regulations that apply to data centers and cryptocurrency operations throughout the county. These regulations include:

Because the project is located near residentially zoned and developed properties, the County’s review is focused on how the data center and associated equipment may affect nearby residents. Key itemss under review include potential noise, visual impacts, lighting, and other operational characteristics of the cooling systems and equipment.

County staff are currently reviewing the application for completeness and have requested additional information from the applicant to better understand these potential impacts and how they may be mitigated. Once the application is deemed complete, it will proceed through a public review process, including opportunities for public comment.

The project will be subject to review by the Missoula County Consolidated Land Use Board, not the county commissioners. While the land use board at times only has authority to make recommendations to the commissioners, the board does have final decision-making authority in some cases, including zoning variances, zoning special exceptions and administrative action appeals.

The land use board has authority to approve or deny a proposal to locate a data center within 500 feet of residential use, but the applicant must still secure a zoning compliance permit from the County ensuring they meet the requirements to recycle e-waste and supply the operation with new renewable energy, as well as other zoning regulations, as required by the cryptocurrency/data center zoning, as well as all other zoning regulations for the property.

What’s next?

The consolidated land use board hearing is currently scheduled for Wednesday, July 1, at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place in person in the Sophie Moiese Room of the Missoula County Courthouse, 200 W. Broadway, and virtually via Microsoft Teams. The agenda and information on how to join the meeting virtually will be available online prior to the meeting.

The meeting date is subject to change if a complete application is not submitted in time for the June 3 meeting.

Community members are encouraged to stay informed and participate in the review process. Additional project materials and updates will be posted as they become available.