The NAACP voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against the City of Crestwood after both parties reached a settlement agreement Friday.

The NAACP sued Crestwood in April 2022 for the use of tax increment financing, or TIF, to redevelop the former Crestwood mall site into a mixed-used development — Crestwood Crossing — anchored by a Dierbergs grocery store. The NAACP’s lawsuit claimed that the city did not hold the necessary public hearings on the use of TIFs and that the use of TIF and other tax incentives were better used to address food deserts elsewhere in St. Louis County.

According to a press release from Crestwood, the settlement between the city and the NAACP specifies that no party will pay any damages, there is no impact on the Crestwood Crossing development, both parties release all claims that have been made and there is no admission of liability on the part of any party.

Dierbergs had agreed to fund the city’s legal expenses under the terms of a preliminary funding agreement that was in effect prior to the lawsuit.

“This is great news for the City of Crestwood. Our settlement calls for no damages whatsoever, and the City’s legal expenses were completely covered,” Crestwood Mayor Scott Shipley stated in the press release. “We’re happy this issue has been addressed and look forward to all of the exciting development activity occurring at the former mall site, Crestwood Crossing.”