By 1808Delaware
There are strong indications that travelers going from Delaware County into Franklin County will soon see something rather remarkable out of their passenger side windows.
After years of uncertainty, Carvana’s distinctive “car vending machine” project near Polaris appears to be moving again. Recent permit activity and an active final site plan review indicate that the long-delayed development at 8350 Lyra Drive remains alive. The property sits near Interstate 71 and Polaris Parkway, along the southern edge of Delaware County.
Carvana has not announced an opening date, and the project’s construction schedule remains unclear. Still, new building and electrical permit activity during July 2026 provides the strongest indication in some time that the company intends to move ahead.
A Familiar Polaris Site
The nearly 7.8-acre property was once home to the Magic Mountain Fun Center, a longtime Polaris-area entertainment destination. Carvana purchased the site in 2022 for approximately $6.2 million. Site work began later that year but eventually stalled, leaving the future of the project uncertain.
The proposed development includes a 7,960-square-foot vehicle vending machine, utility connections, parking areas, and associated stormwater management facilities. The site is bordered by Interstate 71 to the east and residential properties along portions of its southern and western edges.
A final site plan has been submitted to the City of Columbus, and a review of those records show comments and responses continuing as recently as this week.
Eight Stories of Cars Behind Glass
The centerpiece of the project would be an eight-tier glass tower designed to hold four vehicles on each of its upper seven levels.
Customers would not browse the tower as they would a traditional dealership lot. Instead, they would purchase a vehicle through Carvana’s website and schedule a pickup appointment at the Lyra Drive location. Upon arrival, the customer receives an oversized commemorative coin. Inserting the coin activates the automated retrieval system, which moves the purchased vehicle through the glass tower and delivers it to the ground floor. Carvana says the pickup process generally takes only a few minutes.
The ground level of the Polaris facility is planned to include offices, a customer care area, and delivery bays in addition to the vehicle retrieval system.
A Rare Addition To The Region
Carvana operates only 39 vending machine towers nationwide. The closest existing locations are in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Louisville. The Cleveland tower opened in 2018, giving Ohio residents their first look at the company’s highly visible approach to online vehicle delivery.
A completed Polaris tower would bring that experience to the Columbus region while adding another unusual landmark along the rapidly developing Interstate 71 corridor.
For now, the renewed permit activity offers evidence of progress rather than a firm completion date. The project may be shifting back into gear, but when customers will be able to insert a coin and watch their car descend remains an open question.
More Polaris Area news can be found here.
Photo: Creative Commons License
