Carvana is once again trying to plant one of its glass car "vending machine" towers in Columbus, reviving a Polaris project that has bounced between city files and corporate pause mode for years. The latest push focuses on a Polaris-area parcel the company already owns and could bring an automated, multi-story vehicle pickup tower to the I-71 corridor if it clears the permitting gauntlet.
Today, Columbus Business First reported that Carvana has restarted its application process for the Polaris site and is again pursuing the vending tower concept locally. The outlet said the project has been moved back into city planning files after earlier delays and a companywide pause on similar builds.
Where it would sit
The proposed tower is slated for a 7.77-acre parcel at 8350 Lyra Drive near Polaris Parkway, the former Magic Mountain Fun Center property that Carvana acquired and later demolished. City of Columbus Legistar records show the land was rezoned in an application that specifically allows an auto sales facility and sets development standards for the site.
What a vending tower looks like
Carvana's vending towers are glass-fronted, mechanized stacks that store purchased vehicles and automatically lower them into a delivery bay when customers arrive for pickup. According to Carvana, the company operates multiple towers across the country, and Ohio already has at least one such structure near Cleveland.
Starts, stops and the neighborhood
The Polaris project has sputtered before. Carvana filed plans in 2021, then bought the parcel in 2022, only to pause the build amid companywide cost-cutting and a broader slowdown in tower rollouts. Axios Columbus reported in 2023 that the plan had stalled.
Local coverage has tied the fate of the site to wider changes around Polaris, noting that the shuttering of the longtime amusement center is part of a broader reshuffle of how the area is being used. For more on that transition, see last Magic Mountain takes its final lap.
Zoning and approvals on file
The rezoning history for the property is available through the City of Columbus Legistar. Reporting from The Columbus Dispatch noted that Carvana purchased the land in 2022 for roughly $6.2 million and did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
What’s next
Even with rezoning in place, Carvana still needs building permits, engineering reviews, and any required public-facing approvals before construction can start, so any glass tower on the Polaris skyline is still at least months away. Columbus Business First reports that the project is back in planning files but did not identify a construction start date. City permitting records will be the clearest sign of momentum, and local residents and commercial developers are likely to watch those filings closely given how visible a vending tower would be along I-71.
