I wouldn't recommend it for a site that will receive afternoon shade (it will tolerate it, but not grow very densely). Also, it will certainly get larger than 5'. 8-10' is typical of 'Compacta' and I have even seen it larger than that.

Rhododendrons ought to work fine provided enough moisture. If you want to draw hummingbirds you could also look at some of the hardy Fuchsias.

I had one for about 6 yrs. It was in a sunny site and quickly grew to about 8 ft even with a bit of pruning on my part to try to keep it small. I didn't want to prune more as this tree just doesn't look right when pruned. It was subject to a bit of leaf burn from the cold, but during milder weather, the foliage was nice and the "strawberries" looked attractive (but made a bit of a mess). It finally succumbed to last winter's cold temps so it may be a bit marginal.

Definitely it needs a fair amont of space as I think it will be more like 10' high and 5' wide.

Definitely marginal. I had three and lost 2 in a cold snap. Apparently they need a pollinator so I haven't gotten fruit with only one. I like the fruit, used to eat them in Calif. They have a nice custardy flavor but some grit in the skins and seeds. Some I've seen planted in a parking lot where they are surrounded by asphalt are protected from low temperatures and also have fruit. My poor survivor took a bad hit last winter and is overgrown by a monster grape vine at present so I don't know how it's doing. If you have the right microclimate it could make it.

I only had the one, and it had tons of strawberries, so I don't think it needs a pollinator.

The largest I have seen is by the post office in downtown Bainbridge. It must be 14' tall and 25' wide and I do believe it is 'compacta', not the large version.

Should be fully hardy in most areas, at least once well established - younger, unestablished trees tend to be more prone to winter damage from winds and they do require good drainage, which in our area can also be a limiting factor. Other than that, they thrive in our Mediterranean climate. I've even seen a number of them grown as container plants in various areas of Seattle. The straight species grows quite rapidly - I have clients with 15' tall trees in less than 10 years from a 5 gallon plant. The plants are self-fertile, although 'Compacta' is said to be a reluctant flowerer, so may produce much less fruit.

I have one in a raised bed in the sun, It was slow to start but is growing well now. It is getting crowded by a vigorous ceanothus victoria but the strawberry is thriving. There are a bunch at Marylhurst University and Mary's Woods that are quite large after a few years. There's a few at Marylhurst that they keep pruned and shaped along Admin bldg. Others grow in shade and have gotten a bit straggly.

Arbutus are beautiful evergreen plants. I have one arbutus marina that has survived and is doing well finally. It gets sprinkler watered every night and is in a raised bed with good drainage.

These plants are not the easiest to grow.

I have three (actually that would accurately be "had" as one succumbed to the dry summer last year)in the same sort of exposure as you describe. I planted them about six years ago and the two surviving plants are about 5 1/2 feet high X 4 feet wide. They receive almost no supplemental water (the story for almost all my plants!) and are browsed by deer on occasion. Despite that, they are beautiful! They are a bit on the "rangy" side (probably due to the limited light they receive), but they are just what I wanted in that space!

Here's my Arbutus Marina growing in a raised bed with good drainage, gets watered every night via sprinkler.

Shot from further north on west path (plant is on left in raised bed)

And the arbutus compacta 1 year 7 months after planting, in a raised bed in full sun: