The Spokane City Council has agreed to lease to the University of Washington the former Spokane Visitor Information Center building, at 201 W. Main downtown.

UW plans to use the city-owned, 2,250-square-foot structure for business outreach, alumni activities, student admissions, and to support its expanding medical-education program.

The school first disclosed its intention to lease the building last month.

Norm Arkans, a UW spokesman, says the university will evaluate in coming weeks what remodeling works the building needs and likely will start that work in January or February. UW plans early next year to hire one dedicated employee to staff the new office.

For a number of years, Visit Spokane, the Spokane-area’s convention and visitor’s bureau, operated a visitor’s center in that building. The organization closed the visitor center about a year ago and began operating an information kiosk in the River Park Square mall downtown.

The lease has a three-year term and calls for UW to pay about $5,200 a month in the first year, about $5,300 a month in the second year, and about $5,400 month during the final year.