A Carvana Car Vending Machine could be rising soon along Lenoir Avenue East just off Interstate 95 in South Jacksonville.
The project could be one of the new machines that Phoenix-based Carvana, a national online auto retailer, wants to open after closing on a $160 million funding round that brings the total raised to $460 million. It announced the funding Wednesday.
Site plans were filed this week for the Jacksonville location, comprising a single-story structure and adjacent five-story tower that will serve as a vending machine for purchased late-model used cars.
Phoenix-based Carvana, founded in 2013, designed the robotic tower to hold 20 cars. Customers, who buy online, can either pick up the car or have it delivered.
A buyer who chooses to pick up a car at the tower is given a Carvana-branded coin to insert into a machine. The car is retrieved and automated parking technology delivers it to the customer on the ground level.
Carvana opened a prototype vending machine in 2013 in Atlanta and the newest version in November in Nashville.
While it operates just two towers, it maintains a physical operation in 15 markets, including Jacksonville. It can offer delivery as soon as the next day in those areas.
Carvana co-founder Ryan Keeton said by email late Thursday he could not confirm specifics about the Jacksonville project.
“There’s a lot of background that goes into new market launches and expansion within existing markets — from securing a site to working with local governments on zoning to drafting plans specific for each market,” he said.
Keeton said he was not able to provide more details, although he said the company plans to bring Car Vending Machines like that in Nashville to as many markets as possible over the next few years.
The Jacksonville project is designed on an almost 4.3-acre site at 6951 Lenoir Ave. E. Carvana is going up on about 2 acres and the remaining property is shown as future development.
Pooler, Ga.-based Jaymala Inc. owns the property. Interplan LLC of Orlando is the project agent.
The business typically would operate 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and close on Sunday. At full operation, it would have four to 12 employees on-site, plans show.
Carvana said it would use the proceeds from the new funding to support its expansion in the United States to more than 20 markets by the end of the year and to double its inventory to more than 10,000 vehicles.
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