ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando City Council approved an interim memorial site at Pulse nightclub during its meeting Monday afternoon.
The plan for the site of the mass shooting includes adding a new fence to replace the one the FBI erected, adding artificial turf and other landscaping elements and adding an area where visitors can leave tributes.
The plans, submitted by nightclub owner Barbara Poma and the onePULSE Foundation, were discussed during Monday's meeting and then approved.
Poma told City Council members on Monday that while there is no timeline for construction, she would like the process to be as speedy and as non-invasive to the site as possible. The ultimate goal, she said, is to have the nightclub look "less like a crime scene and make it more like a site where you can come pay respects."
She showed renderings of what the memorial would look like. It includes trees to provide visitors some respite from the scorching Florida sun, benches and seating, a 4-foot high tribute wall where flowers and gifts can be left and an 8-foot high fence that will be decorated with murals to honor the 49 people killed.
The Pulse sign would be encased in polycarbonate panels to protect it and the bottom portion would include an area where written messages of love and hope can be inscribed.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and commissioner Patty Sheehan applauded Poma's plan and the thought and input she's gathered in the months since the June 12, 2016 massacre.
"It's really important to go through the process that allows the victims of the families and the community as a whole to have input into the process," Dyer said. "That's almost as important as what comes out of it. So coming up with a temporary solution in the interim is a really good idea."
They both also said that a rainbow crosswalk will be added on West Esther Street, in front of the nightclub. Sheehan said it could be painted there as early as Wednesday.
"It'll be a nice tribute as well," Sheehan said.
The temporary use permit would be valid for up to two years with options to apply for up to three one-year extensions.
View the plan documents below.
Before construction can begin, Pulse officials will need to have plans approved for security, trashing collection, parking, maintenance and other logistics.
Plans for a permanent memorial at the site will be discussed at a onePULSE town hall meeting on Monday evening. Read more about that meeting here.
Last month, the OnePULSE Foundation made public an online survey about the memorial's feel and design at onePULSEfoundation.org. The survey, which was first opened to victims's families and survivors, includes questions about features that the community may like to see at the memorial site. The survey will remain open until Oct. 31.