BONNAR — An AI data center planned for the Bonner Mill Industrial Park is now underwater after the property owner withdrew his signature from the data center application.
MTN News spoke to property owner Mike Hagee and provided him with a statement he gave in the Voice of Missoula County.
(Notice: Proposed Bonner AI data center project stalls, application not moving forward)
Proposed Bonner AI data center project stalls, applications not moving forward
“After listening to the public’s comments and understanding what their concerns were, I have decided to withdraw my signature from the Crumb Special Exception Application. Bonner Properties will not proceed with construction of their proposed data center. We appreciate the public’s comments and will continue to actively seek customers for the factory site. Thank you.”
In March, KRAMBU submitted an application to turn an old factory site into an AI data center called Sustainable Environmental Footprint.
The proposed 29-megawatt closed-loop data center in Bonner sparked controversy shortly after it was proposed.
KRAMBU submitted the application several times as county planners discovered flaws in the application over several months.
One such hole is where the backup generator would be located, and early applications did not even indicate that it existed.
Without Heisey’s signature, the application will not be able to move forward in any capacity, essentially killing the project.
Karen Hughes, director of the Missoula County Planning, Development and Sustainability Department, said AI companies cannot move forward with the site. There is nothing stopping the company from pursuing another location.
“No, unless the property owner agrees to put the data center there. I think it’s possible that KRAMBU or some other operator might request to put the data center somewhere else. In that case, if it’s zoned, we’d have to look at what the zoning is,” Hughes said.
MTN News reached out to KRAMBU for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
The company may have options to consider other locations, but Missoula County commissioners are scheduled to hold a public meeting Thursday to decide whether the county should suspend use of the data center countywide.
