Gus Frangos spoke in 2017 before the City Club of Cleveland on the Cuyahoga Land Bank’s first eight years of existence, as it increasingly became more active in repurposing blighted land. Frangos led the land bank from its inception (Cuyahoga Land Bank). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Local officials honor land bank pioneer
ARTICLE UPDATED AUG. 12, 2024
One day after the Cuyahoga Land Bank won its largest score of Ohio Brownfield Program grants to repurpose blighted, long-fallow properties, land bank President and General Counsel Gus Frangos suddenly passed away.
“It is with deep sadness that the Cuyahoga Land Bank announces the untimely passing of Gus Frangos … the visionary founder of our organization,” said the Cuyahoga Land Bank spokesperson in a written statement. “Frangos passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 10, leaving behind a legacy of transformative leadership and unwavering commitment to revitalizing communities across Cuyahoga County.”
His older brother Louis Frangos, founder of the Cleveland-based real estate firm Frangos Group, told NEOtrans that Gus Frangos had died of a heart attack on Saturday. Gus Frangos was 69 years old and lived in Hudson.
Frangos served as president and general counsel of the land bank since its founding in 2009. The official name of the land bank is the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp. Frangos was the primary drafter of Ohio’s House Bill 294 and Senate Bill 353, establishing enhanced-capacity county land banks, and expedited administrative tax foreclosure policy following the housing foreclosure crisis of the late 2000s.
He guided the Cuyahoga Land Bank from its inception to become a nationally recognized model for land reutilization and community revitalization, the land bank spokesperson said. “His passion for urban renewal, his dedication to improving neighborhoods, and his deep legal expertise have left an indelible mark on the communities he served,” she said.
Gus Frangos received the inaugural Center for Community Progress‘ Lifetime Achievement Award. It was announced at the National Land Bank Network’s (NLBN) virtual summit in November 2021 and was later presented personally to Frangos by NLBN Director Brian Larkin (Cuyahoga Land Bank).
Frangos graduated from Cleveland State University’s Marshall College of Law with honors in 1982. He served as an associate attorney at the law firm of Ulmer & Berne from 1982 to 1986 concentrating in business law and litigation. Frangos served on Cleveland City Council, representing Ward 13 including downtown and the city’s near-west side in the 1980s and early 1990s. He then was appointed a magistrate judge in the Cleveland Municipal Court.
“Gus was more than just a leader; he was a true pioneer in community development and a steadfast advocate for the people of Cuyahoga County,” said Warrensville Heights Mayor Brad Sellers, board chair of the land bank. “His passing is a tremendous loss, not just for our organization but for the countless individuals and communities whose lives he touched. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family during this difficult time.”
“A pioneer of county land banks, he not only lifted Cuyahoga County but counties throughout Ohio,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne in a statement released on social media. “The dean of land banks, he created a national best practice here at home. Job well done Gus Frangos. The day before his passing the State of Ohio awards came home. His legacy lives on.”
“An incredible and faithful family man, leader of Cuyahoga Land Bank, author, former member of Cleveland City Council and so much more,” said John Litten, CEO of Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity. “Just six days ago he sat next to me, advocating for more housing opportunities. I’ll never forget, at one of our dedications last year, Gus’s humility in encouraging his coworkers to speak rather than him, quoting John the Baptist: ‘He must increase, but I must decrease’.”
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