Is there a lot of deer in that area? Is the crazy neighbor out of the picture. You will probably be better off growing plants along one edge (either on the parkway side or close to the house) of the strip rather than in the middle of it. Not fast growing but our native holly (Ilex opaca) is fairly shade tolerant. You will. Inkberriy hollies are evergreen shrubs too and may work! Cranberry Viburnums are fast growing and have their leaves most of the seasons you will be outside. Any planted trees/shrubs will have to be water carefully, especially the first year or two until they get established. Removing some trees to allow sunlight to hit the ground (and preventing deer) may actually allow a dense stand of pine seedlings to come in on their own.

Have you considered ferns?

Thanks for the comments!

No deer in the area. Crazy neighbor hopefully is taken care of. I did get the budget for a few Nellie Stevens holly, which I planted on one side of the strip of pine trees, so they should hopefully get enough light. I'm also putting up garden fencing material to keep the kids from playing in there, which is also likely preventing things from growing. Will look into the mentioned plants. Are ferns low light tolerant? We did have very dense vegetation (Still do in unaffected areas), not sure what it is, but it's very dense vine/bush type of plant so nobody can walk through it (Which is good). Even in the Winter when the leaves fall off, it's still pretty dense. Currently, residents are walking their dogs back there so they don't have to pick up after their pets. I'm hoping this will help fertilize whatever starts growing, then I can fence it off completely so the dog activity doesn't disturb the growth. I also heard coffee grounds are good for plants, and was thinking of dumping my old grounds out there. Unfortunately I don't think I'll get the budget for fertilizer, or many more plants. One issue I'm concerned about is watering. They are nowhere near a faucet, and buckets would have to be carried, which isn't practical. I planted the Nellie Stevens with pieces of sponge by the roots in an attempt to store longer whatever water it gets. Not sure it helped. They are still green, which I suppose is a good sign.

Getting water to the plants is pretty critical. Planting in fall or during the rainy season is a good start but won't be enough to get them through their first summer. Especially if within the root zone of the pines, which will outcompete the new plants for any available soil moisture. And I'd discourage you from including something like a sponge in the planting hole - it is very likely to cause more problems than it could solve.

I'd look into native plants or what one would normally find growing naturally under the pines. These plants tend to be better suited for those sorts of conditions than more ornamental plants and are genetically programmed to thrive under your normal weather conditions and rainfall......once they are properly established. Native plant seedlings or bare root starts are often available very inexpensively in early spring through your local conservation district or DNR.

But they are going to require periodic deep watering through their first year, even more so if you experience any drought conditions like much of your area did this past summer. Nothing except for rocks will be immediately drought tolerant after planting :-))