.htaccess IF directory exists

.htaccess IF directory exists

I have a development server and a live server. Both use the same .htaccess
but I want the development server to be password protected. When I copy
the .htaccess file over to the live, I get a 500 error. Does .htaccess
offer some way to only password protect directories using conditionals
like IF?
what I'm using:
<Directory "/home/my/path/to/development/site/">
AuthName "Restricted Area 52"
AuthType Basic
AuthUserFile /home/my/path/to/development/site/.htpasswd
AuthGroupFile /dev/null
require valid-user
</Directory>
Could really use some help.