Bonner data center hearing delayed as Missoula County review continues

Missoula, Mont. — A public hearing tied to the proposed Bonner Data Center has been pushed back as Missoula County continues reviewing the project.

According to a county project update, the expected July 1 hearing before the Missoula County Consolidated Land Use Board was delayed while the developer finished materials for that presentation. The county said it will post a new hearing date and email updates to people following the project.

Missoula County is reviewing a plan to turn part of the former mill building at 9314 Bonner Mill Road into a high-performance computing data center. County officials said the main question in this step is how the use could affect nearby homes, not whether a data center is allowed on the industrial site.

The project would place most of the work inside the existing planer building instead of expanding the structure. Plans also called for new interior spaces for servers and supporting equipment.

The county said the facility would operate around the clock with few workers on site and limited traffic mainly tied to service and maintenance.

Project materials said the cooling setup would rely on adiabatic and evaporative towers using water from the site's fire suppression well. The applicant also indicated no backup generators were part of the proposal during a power outage.

The county said the first phase was expected to draw about 7 megawatts of electricity with room to grow to 29 megawatts, which matches the site's estimated available capacity.

Missoula County said the special exception application was deemed complete on May 11, 2026, though staff still requested more information. If that request is approved, the developer would still need a zoning compliance permit and would have to meet county rules tied to renewable energy and e-waste recycling.

People who want updates can follow the county's Bonner Data Center project page. Agendas and other documents tied to the board review will be posted on the Missoula County Consolidated Land Use Board page.