you could move the trees toward the back edge of your yard instead of so close up, making the lawn space usable IMO
i agree that the lower tier deck would look and function better with the steps down along the long side, in fact i'd say go further and make the step treads a bit more than usual for safety too, then put a matching railing along the side, or possibly a lattice screen to help improve privacy from the side neighbor
to me the ability to have traffic flow through access from the house, the 2 decks and on to the lawn makes more sense
ps. my white rock turned to crap in short time, i got rid of it and replaced with cedar bark, the bed had fir shrubs
"Drive your business, let not your business drive you" ~ Benjamin Franklin