With little fanfare, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission on Thursday approved the color of the brick for the exterior of the new $42 million Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.

Prior to the vote, chairman Douglas Sederholm took aim at the coverage of the so-called brick issue in the Martha’s Vineyard Times, a weekly newspaper published in Vineyard Haven.

Mr. Sederholm said he wished to set the record straight, noting that the commission’s written decision to approve the hospital project as a development of regional impact in December of 2006 included language requiring the hospital to return to the commission with brick samples for final approval.

“It’s not at all unreasonable to review the exterior of what will be the biggest building on the Island . . . that’s why we asked to see the brick. As I understand it, this commission issued a certificate of approval with [the provision] that project architects would come back and get approval for the style of bricks before they ordered them,” Mr. Sederholm said.

MVC executive director Mark London said the commission often requires applicants to come back for later approval of certain details associated with a project; the practice allows projects to move forward without waiting for approval on every last detail. Mr. London also cited the project’s certificate of compliance, which states clearly that the hospital was required to return to the commission for approval of the brick color.

Last month the hospital put up a display wall so commissioners could see the color of the brick that would be used on the new hospital exterior. On Thursday the commission approved the color, which will be red with an orange outline. The color was described as similar to the brick used at the Tisbury School.