My approach to gardening has been one of "move it around until it looks good". But now I'm dealing with really heavy and expensive trees, and I'm really stuck... Thanks in advance for your help!

I have been working on improving a border located between me and my neighbor that runs between my front yard and his house. I want to maintain privacy and screening along the portion that borders my neighbors house, especially in the area closest to my house (where we have sightlines between windows).

The blue spruce in the photo below is diseased and will be coming out. I have purchased a Serbian Spruce "Riverside" to replace it, however, it will be located a few feet closer to the house than the old spruce. (I want to do this because the view from inside the house will be improved by moving it, and I think it will just look better there. The spruce has always seemed oddly positioned to me.) The problem with this is that it will leave a large gap (about 7x7) between the new spruce and the arborvitae. I would like to have height in this area for screening.

I'm already thinking I will increase the depth of the border where the arborvitae are so that it will be about 7' deep. I plan to fill in the area with shrubs. The border runs all the way to the street. I want the height in the border closer to our house, but the border could only be 7-10 feet high elsewhere . At the street end of the border, I have a Persian Parrotia planted. It is just a babe right now, but in time will provide height at that end.

A few of my options and their pros/cons are below. Thoughts? Other good options I've missed?

Leave the arborvitae and fill the gap (about 7x7) with something else that will get tall, but not too wide.

Pro - Would give me the height for screening.

Con - I feel like whatever I plant will draw attention from the Serbian spruce until the spruce is significantly taller?

What would look decent (mostly sun)? Maybe magnolia little gem? Camellia?

Insert more arborvitae to fill the gap:

Pro - Would screen well and give a uniform background against which other things could be planted

Con - I hate the arborvitae and the younger ones are going to be several feet shorter. I think this step in height would look funny.

Take out all the arborvitae and replant a mixed shrub/tree/conifer border in their place.

Pro - I could get rid of the arborvitae and put in plants I like better.

Cons - I still have the issue of what would look good next to the spruce, and it would be a while before we have the sense of "enclosure" back as the plants mature.

Use the Serbian spruce elsewhere in the yard and plant three weeping Alaska cedars in a narrow variety like Green Arrow.

Pros - I could fill the whole 17' long area with one form & texture.

Cons - I don't think the screening would be quite as good because they are much looser in their structure.

Photos - lots of them:

The view from the street. The spruce is sort of blocked by an out of control plum tree-

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The view from the corner of the street/drive-

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Where the new spruce is going-

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View from the drive-

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view from the front porch-

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