What part of the country do you live in?

I live in Northern Virginia. Zone: 7b

Looks a little too shady there for either really, esp the crepe myrtle but what comes to mind is emerald green arborvitae. Ask for it by that name specifically. Also look into Skyrocket juniper or Wichita Blue juniper . Both the arbs and junipers prefer sun but I'm growing them successfully in a shady spot between houses like that.

Yeah, how much sun does that area get during the summer months?

Have you considered coordinating with your neighbors to create together a privacy screen between your houses? That would give you more options. You could run the trees down the middle and not be limited to something only 4' wide. A mix of deciduous and evergreen would be nice.

Unfortunately my neighbor is very nosey and director of the HOA. So I need to do this on my own.

I found two plants that may do the trick:
Juniperus virginiana 'Taylor'

Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Star'

What do you guys think? Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

iforgotitsonevermind and esh_ga, I do get a lot of sun on that side of the house about 8 hours or so. So sun loving plants would be fine.

If you are in Northern VA, then you're probably in zone 7A. Pittosporum is not hardy. I'd go with either the arbs, junipers, or maybe Foster's Holly, but you'd have to do some pruning on the sides of the holly to limit its spread. You could also try Chindo viburnum.

You should also check out the Holly 'Oakleaf'. 'Oakland' is similar but slightly more compact. They are fast-growing, very upright hollies. I have several I'm using for screening. It doesn't look like they will spread too much, but may take some light pruning if they do.

Oakleaf Holly