ORLANDO, Fla. — The city of Orlando has reached a purchase agreement to buy the site of the Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were killed by gunman Omar Mateen on June 12, 2016, Mayor Buddy Dyer announced Wednesday.

The proposed land purchase of $2 million will go before the Orlando City Council for approval on Oct. 23.

"Creating a memorial to the victims of the Pulse tragedy has been a challenging endeavor, with the current plan for the memorial to be built somewhere besides the actual Pulse site. 

We recently had the opportunity to meet with and listen to some of the family members of the victims, as well as survivors," a statement from the mayor's office said. "They expressed their strong desire for a lasting memorial to be located on the Pulse site. The hurt and pain they shared — now more than seven years since the tragedy — only solidified our belief that the 49 angels deserve a permanent memorial on the Pulse site. In the interest of solving challenges in a way that brings our community together in love, acceptance and partnership, which is the enduring legacy of Pulse, we have decided to purchase the land from its current owners. We believe that this is the best and most appropriate way to expedite the creation of a proper memorial for the Pulse tragedy."

After the purchase is complete, a decision about the appropriate next steps will be made, the statement added.

"We are committed to taking a thoughtful, collaborative approach to understand the history of the effort to create a memorial up until this point, and then working with the victims’ families and survivors to ensure there is a memorial at the Pulse site that honors the victims, those impacted by the tragedy and pays tribute to the resiliency of Orlando," the statement said.

At the time of the mass shooting, it was the deadliest in U.S. history. Sixty-eight others also were injured.

An interim memorial was set up on the site of the former nightclub, owned by Barbara and Rosario Poma, and it has been the key spot for people to go to remember the victims.

Many survivors of the shooting and those killed have expressed a desire for a permanent museum and memorial to be built on the site and had urged the Pomas to donate the property for that purpose.

Alex Goram visited the Pulse nightclub property Wednesday to honor his friend, Antonio Brown, one of the victims who died back in 2016.

He says a memorial should have been put there long ago and hopes the space is respected and continues to be a landmark for people to pay respect and learn about what happened.

"If they stick to what they say they're going to do, it's amazing. That day changed the history of the LGBTQ+ community," said Goram. "It deserves something big. It deserves a huge building because we lost 49 souls that night, 49 people were taken from us."

In July, the onePULSE Foundation said that it had been unable to reach an agreement with the owners on a plan to donate the site, and it confirmed that its lease on the Pulse nightclub site was not renewed.

In a statement released Wednesday, the Pomas said, "After the senseless, horrific tragedy of June 12, 2016, the site where Pulse nightclub stands will finally serve as the permanent national memorial. As we always intended, it will honor the 49 lives taken while providing a sanctuary for victims’ families, all survivors, first responders and for our community. We are grateful to Mayor Dyer and the City Commission for making this a reality. 

June 12, 2016 will always be remembered for the despicable act of terrorism and attack on the LGBTQIA+ community, but our hope is that this sacred ground will become a space for healing. Pulse nightclub opened as a place of love and acceptance for all and will now forever serve as a reminder that no act of hate can ever erase love.”