Advice?

I bought a house on a corner lot in West Michigan that had been empty for years and the yard had probably not been cared for years before that. The hell strip, which they politely call "the terrace" here, is huge–8' wide, and I have a small front & side yard that were probably a groomed lawn once upon a time.

I'm trying to decide what I need to do to effectively turn this mess into a green but no (or little) grass situation, ideally I want clovers and yarrow. And of course native pollinator beds with some small trees, shrubs, rocks. I am up for cardboarding select sections but impatient. Especially RE the terraces I'm getting different advice. I wanted to throw a bunch of wildflower seed out there but worried the City may make me mow it down, especially during a messy transition period. Some have told me I should dethatch, aerate, overseed with clover & yarrow (which makes sense to me), others say I need to rototill to start over. Then of course there are the "weed & seed" advocates (but that is NOT happening).

So what do y'all think? How far do I need to go to give clover & yarrow a fighting chance of taking over? What about wildflower seeds?

Grateful for any advice & perspectives!