Brockton’s request for a $400,000 state grant to revamp historic James Edgar Park has been approved, officials have learned, money that will not only rejuvenate the surrounding neighborhood but also play a role in a downtown renovation plan to make Brockton safer and more attractive for new businesses and families.

The Parkland and Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities grant expected from the state Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs will fund new playground equipment in the green space bordered by Brook, Dover, South Fuller, and Winthrop streets, an area that until recently was plagued by drug transactions and littered with used hypodermic needles.