NEW PROJECT 😱😱

Hey!! Zone 6a. We recently had to clear out a ton of dead old growth, like a side of one log was one wingspan, kinda sad but it was all risky to have close to our house. Dug about 6ft down to get all the trunks. Now, we have a relatively large spot of very usable land, and I need ideas of what I can do with it. To the left are our neighbors, we lost some privacy so I'd like to start growing that back. We have easy access to lilac shoots, so that's one idea.

But what to fill the rest with? Native flowers? A ground cover strong enough to walk on? A mix? It gets an insane amount of sun now, and it dries out the soil to the point of cracking. We also get a ton of offshoots from these dumb cottonwood/box elder trees to the right, so that plays into it. And in the meantime, what can I put down to prevent all the elephant ear/sticker plants that come up in the spring/summer?