A downtown Park Street building that was home to the longtime Lewiston business Victor News could be redeveloped into housing.

A proposal that will soon go before the Planning Board would redevelop the building at 59 Park St. into 12 studio apartments, with the exterior reconfigured to bring more light into the building, which backs up onto Dufresne Plaza.

Victor News, which closed in 2019 after operating for 114 years, moved into the Park Street building in 1971 following stints on Main Street and Ash Street. The building has been vacant since.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously supported granting an easement to the developer along the side of the building so that a retaining wall and fence can be installed.

John Blais, deputy director of economic and community development, told councilors the redevelopment was a “significant opportunity for downtown revitalization,” which would bring an “underutilized building back into productive use” while improving public safety.

He said the easement will allow the building to be converted into residential use, turning the ground floor into a daylight basement.

While the front of the building faces Park Street, one side of the building looks out at Dufresne Plaza and slopes down to the rear of the building on Park Street Alley.

Peter Lavoie, managing parter of Fifty Nine, LLC, the project developer, said in a memo to the council that the apartment units would range from 300 to 420 square feet — efficiency studio apartments with onsite washer and dryer.

The memo states the exterior of the building will remain primarily brick, but the building “will be improved with additional windows and changes in siding material to provide architectural interest to the façade.”

Blais said the development plan will go to the Planning Board for site plan review and approval in the coming weeks.

Councilors said they were excited for the building to be reused, with Councilor Susan Longchamps calling it “ideal for housing.” She said that when the store closed, it was completely gutted, making it expensive to be repurposed for a commercial or retail use.

“It’s a great location for housing,” she said. “I’m excited to see it.”

“We continue to need housing here in Lewiston and I support this project,” Mayor Carl Sheline said.

According to the memo, the proposal would reconfigure the current entrances to the building.

The front door along Park Street would be relocated with a cantilevered canopy to direct residents to the entrance. A concrete walkway would be installed to connect the new door location to the existing sidewalk, and the concrete sidewalk along the front of the building would be replaced with bark mulch and plantings.

Victor News was first opened by Victor L’Heureux, the store’s namesake, and was eventually owned by his nephew Phil St. Pierre and his wife, Nancy Bazinet St. Pierre.

The mom-and-pop operation survived the Great Depression, numerous recessions, changing demographics and even urban renewal before closing in 2019.