I’m going to tackle your points backwards, because I’m too lazy to cut and paste them in the right order [and also on a phone].
Although block-by-block building - the slab - is already in the game, there’s never anything wrong with more variety , though that has in part been answered by the stone tile slabs. Slab staircases don’t need as many ladders now, either. I love Radiant for this!
@TurtleSquish Well, that post was on the subject of mining, but not really precision mining [although I guarantee that’s around here somewhere] - do your homework, you don’t want to end up like @Geoffers747!
Groves and Gardeners do seem to fit well into Stonehearth. And, yes, seeds! If I must walk across the map to find silkweed before I can farm it, let me; it makes my town’s history just that much more interesting!