FYI: The department of Housing Preservation and Development released early findings from the 2002 Housing and Vacancy Survey on Friday, noting the citywide rental vacancy rate is 2.94 percent. State law mandates the continuation of rent control and stabilization as long as the vacancy rate is below 5 percent, but Albany will have to debate the form those regulations will take when reauthorizing them this session. The HPD survey shows 3.2 million housing units citywide, a larger stock than at any point since 1965, HPD says. But low-rent units were hard to come by: Units with rent under $700 had a vacancy rate of less than 2 percent. [2/11/03]