Once finished, the $8.5 million center will function as a skilled nursing community, providing short-term rehabilitation and long-term care for hospice-type patients.

The center will be located at 1330 Grand Pointe Court, at the interchange of I-457 and East Hill Road, and is expected to open in September of 2012.

"I'm thrilled to be part of that community," Ciena CEO Mohammad Qazi said. "It's a community that we really like and I think it will be a good fit."

Qazi said the decision to build a Grand Blanc facility was made after the state of Michigan assessed state-wide demographics and granted a Certificate of Need to Genesee County.

“There was a need in that area,” said Angela Minicuci, Public Information Officer for the Michigan Department of Community Health. “Otherwise, we would not have awarded (the Certificate of Need.)”

Within the county, Qazi said, Ciena looked at community and location features, grading each city on an ABC scale. From there, the decision was made to build the center in Grand Blanc.

"There hasn't been anything built in terms of skilled nursing and rehab in the past four or five decades there," said Qazi. "There are a couple of facilities, but they were built in the '60's."

Grand Blanc Township Supervisor Micki Hoffman said the locating in the township is ideal.

The location is right next to Wingate Hotel, she said, so friends or family members visiting patients in rehabilitation will have a convenient place to stay.

Qazi said the planned center will have a large emphasis on technology. It will include flat screen televisions and phones and will be mostly paperless, with everything either online or on a computer.

He said the finished facility will be "better than a traditional nursing home."

"People's expectations are changing," Qazi said. "They want better facilities, they want new facilities with better amenities."

The planned 68,000 center will feature 74 suites with private bathrooms as well as six bariactric rooms, a rehabilitative therapy room and a spa.

The center will have multiple cafeterias and common areas and will hold 120 beds.

"About 50 percent of the rooms are private rooms and the rest of them are really semi-private suites," Qazi said.

The center will create more than 100 jobs during its construction, and 120 full-time equivalent jobs once it opens.

A meadow walk will also be constructed, including walking trails lined with natural and native plants for the centers occupants and visitors.

Hoffman said the entire township is excited about the center.

“With this white hair ... I thought I’d better look into this a little more,” she said. “We’re looking to take care of our residents, or people that want to come to Grand Blanc.”