Twenty years ago, Wayne Sirmons didn’t know anything existed in Denver east of Colorado Boulevard.

But after finding a place to live in the Mayfair neighborhood, he has never wanted to leave. He’s seen many changes in the past 15-plus years, and more is on the way.

Sirmons — the president of Mayfair Neighbors Inc. and a member of the Fax Partnership, an organization that seeks to stimulate business along East Colfax Avenue — notes the younger families moving in with children and others who are buying up properties with aging bungalow homes, scraping them and building larger homes. Mayfair stretches from Colfax Avenue south to Sixth Avenue, and Eudora Street east to Monaco Street.

“It’s amazing how young it’s going,” Sirmons said. “There’s affluent people and more kids. Everyone is socially active.”

Another change in Mayfair — along with the surrounding neighborhoods of Montclair and Park Hill — is the likely passage of the ‘Fax/Mayfair Business Improvement District, which will stretch from Eudora to Monaco along East Colfax and dip down to 14th Avenue between Kearney and Leyden streets.

The Fax Partnership had been gathering property owner signatures since early this year and Denver City Council approved the district in August. All that is left is a ballot initiative to fund the district. It must be voted on by commercial property owners, who would approve a tax on themselves to pay for the business expenses.

The business improvement district would allow the area to leverage grant funds for beautification projects.

“It will be an economical development entity with the capacity to leverage public funding and develop private funding,” said Hilarie Portell, executive director of the Fax Partnership, who added that she already has a proposal ready for the city’s Office of Economic Development for a streetscape master plan for the district.

That stretch of East Colfax has seen quite a transformation in recent years as more local businesses have moved in to serve the younger members of the community who typically want to be out and about and eat at local establishments. Also, many of the new business owners live near or in the neighborhood and some of them are excited for what is to come.

“I think big changes are in store,” said Christian Anderson, co-owner of the Chop Shop, a restaurant that opened at Colfax and Elm Street in July.

A shopping center at 14th Avenue and Krameria Street boasts two supermarkets on the south side and a renovated strip mall on the north side. It also stands to benefit from the district, and there are already rumors of the King Soopers looking to expand. Denver City Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman, who represents the area, addressed the possibility at the neighborhood association’s annual meeting Oct. 14.

Susman said the neighborhood has dealt with change well, and that’s thanks to strong leadership within Mayfair Neighbors.

“The neighborhood association has always been pretty active,” Susman said. “They’ve had some real steady leadership.”

Mayfair Neighbors has been active in planning events such as concerts in the park, among other things. Another thing that makes the neighborhood great, according to Sirmons, is its proximity to places such as Stapleton, Cherry Creek and downtown, but without the overcrowding and parking problems, at least not yet.

He added: “It’s one of Denver’s best-kept secrets.”

Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joe_vacc