RICHMOND, Va. -- A plan to relocate and consolidate Richmond’s Department of Social Services is slated to fill up a prominent but largely unused downtown office building.

The city is moving its DSS offices from 900 E. Marshall St. and a location at Southside Plaza to the Richmond Times-Dispatch building at 300 E. Franklin St., where the department would fill the first three floors of the four-story building that still houses the newspaper offices on the top floor.

City Council on Monday approved a 15-year lease with building owner 300 Franklin LLC, an entity tied to Shamin Hotels that purchased the building and adjoining parking deck in 2019.

The hotelier, which moved its headquarters there from Chester, will move out of the building later this year. CEO Neil Amin said the company is considering options but has not decided on a relocation plan.

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